


Eternal Flame

by Claire_grady143



Category: Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:28:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 50,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26238619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Claire_grady143/pseuds/Claire_grady143
Summary: Takes place before Jurassic World. Owen is just starting his job on the island. The story will work up to the infamous first date!
Relationships: Claire Dearing & Owen Grady, Claire Dearing/Owen Grady
Comments: 113
Kudos: 132





	1. Chapter 1

Walking along the long hallway of offices and meeting rooms, Claire listened as Zara filled her in on the agenda for her next meeting. She already knew the list of it, so she was glancing into the conference rooms as they strolled by each one only half listening. Most of the rooms were empty, but the fourth one they walked by she noticed three men sitting at the end of the table. 

Pausing at the open door, Claire’s attention was immediately drawn to one of the men. He was pushed back in his chair, rocking back and forth as far as the chair would tilt. Raising an eyebrow as she took in his outfit— surely he wasn’t dressed for a professional interview. Though she could only see his blue t-shirt which looked like he rolled in grease before whatever meeting he was in now. Watching him tilt further back, Claire waited for the whole chair to flip backwards. 

A heavier set man sat at the head of the table, Claire recognized him as Mr. Hoskins. She couldn’t hear what he was talking about, but she knew he was from InGen. They were starting a new program with raptors. The meeting Zia was filling her in on was actually with him and the new behaviorists who would be working with the raptors. 

Claire froze when the guy, now completely reclined in the chair was looking around the third man who’s back was towards her. Their eyes met and Claire suddenly forgot how to breathe. 

“Hey, I made it all the way back to your office apparently talking to myself.” Zara tugged at Claire’s arm. 

Peeling her eyes from the mystery man, who she surely has never seen on the island before, to glance apologetically at her secretary. Claire’s cheeks flushed red and stepped out of view. “Who’s in there?” Claire tried her best to hide her embarrassment. 

“Oh,” Zara chuckled as she peeked into the conference room. “You spotted Owen Grady.” 

“Owen Grady.” Claire repeated and fought the urge to glance back in the room. 

“Really?” Zara asked, tilting her head as she watched the flush in Claire’s cheeks darken. “Mr. Grady?” 

“What?” Claire asked, trying to sound confused by Zara’s reaction. She started walking towards her office. Zara trailing close behind her. 

“What?” Zara mimicked as she followed Claire into her office. “You were obviously starring at him. Didn’t think he’d be your type.” 

Sitting down at her desk and quickly turned on her computer to act busy, Claire glanced up at Zara. “I was trying to see who he was— who both those men were.” She covered. 

Zara rolled her eyes, but didn’t press any further. “They are the new behaviorists for InGen.” 

Claire nodded. “That’s what I figured.” She drummed her fingers across the keyboard as she pulled up her calendar for her meeting the next day. “My meeting with Mr. Hoskins tomorrow will…” Claire trailed off when Zara started to nod. 

“I was actually telling you about that before you got distracted.” 

Claire scrunched up her nose. “Sorry.” 

“I’ll email you the itinerary.” Zara offered as she turned to exit Claire’s office. 

“Thanks!” Claire called after her. 

  
XXX

“Owen, are you listening to me?” Hoskins slapped his hand down on the table in front of Owen. His gaze focused on the now empty doorway. The image of fire-red hair, white silk blouse, tight navy blue pencil shirt and legs. Long beautiful legs. Were stuck in his brain. He focused harder on the doorway hoping for the woman to reappear. “Grady!” Hoskins snapped his fingers in front of his face. 

“I heard you. Eggs are almost ready to hatch. Most time to be spend with hatchlings. Got it.” He waved off Hoskins as his eyes stayed locked on the door. “Done now?” He wondered, hoping to have the chance to run into her in the hallway. 

“Yeah that’s all for now. We will take a tour of the lab where the eggs are incubating. Tomorrow is our meeting with Ms. Dearing. Please try to be on time.” 

“Yeah, sure.” Owen spoke absentmindedly as he rose from his chair and rushed out the door. Completely forgetting that him and Barry were to follow Hoskins down to the lab. He barely heard his name being called as he rushed from the room. 

Owen came to a sudden stop just outside the conference room and let out a heavy sigh when he saw the hall empty. He started to walk in the direction the red-head disappeared in, but huffed when he reached the end which opened up to a large lobby with a few secretaries perched at their desks in front of large offices. Whoever she was has to be behind one of the doors, because there was no other outlet. 

“Can I help you?” A dark haired woman smiled warmly at him. The tag on her desk read Zara Young.

“Uh…” Owen looked around once more at the closed doors. “Elevator?” 

Stifling a laugh, Zara pointed back down the hall. 

“Thanks.” Owen grumbled and headed back towards where Barry and Hoskins were waiting for him. 

  
XXX

Stepping into the conference room, Claire’s shoulder’s dropped when the one face she was looking for wasn’t there. She glanced down at her watch he was late. “Ms. Dearing nice to see you again.” Hoskins reached for Claire’s hand and gave a tight shake. “This is Barry he’s going to be assisting our behaviorist.” 

Claire shook Barry’s hand before glancing down at her notes as if she was searching out his name. “Mr. Grady?” 

Hoskins nodded. “He’s running a little late. With the raptors ready to hatch he’s been spending some time down in the lab. Probably lost track of time.” 

She heard Owen enter the room behind her and acted as if she didn’t notice. “Yes, well let’s hope he doesn’t lose track of the raptors they way he does time.” When Owen didn’t join them she turned towards the door and caught the falter in his step. “Mr. Grady I presume.” 

“Uh… erm… yeah, sorry. You know this place is like a damn maze. Can’t tell the difference between conference room A1 and B2.” 

“The A’s are on the right side of the hall. B’s are left.” Claire pointed out matter of factly. 

“Oh.” Owen nodded acting way too interested in what she had to say. He took his seat beside Barry and folded his hands on the table, giving Claire his full attention. 

Claire laid out a piece of paper in front of the three men and stood tall as she spoke. “Welcome to Nublar. If any of you have any questions my cell is at the top of the paper I just handed you. My office hours are also listed, but I may not always be here as I bounce from there to the control room.” 

Owen watched Claire as she spoke. Her confidence was the first thing he noticed. The way she carried herself, unamused that she was the only woman in the room. He quickly glanced down at her left hand, happy there was no sign of commitment. Gazing quickly at Barry who was taking notes on the paper Claire had handed him and then at Hoskins who was nodding along. He leaned back in his chair and began to wonder just how hard it would be to get a date with the big boss. 

By the time the meeting was over, Claire gave a moment for any questions. Owen wished he paid enough attention to actually ask her something. Instead he listened as Barry rattled off some questions. 

When Claire finally answered all Barry’s questions the three men stood up and left. Owen staggered by the door, watching Claire gather her notes. She glanced up when she saw him still there. “There’s no makeup time, Mr. Grady, just because you were late doesn’t mean you get to stay and make up the time lost.” 

“Damn, was really hoping for the full hour on my paycheck.” 

Claire shook her head and shoved the last pieces of paper in her bag. “No, sorry, I’m marking you down for only attending fifty-five minutes. Maybe you should show up on time.” 

Owen shrugged, well, what if I have a few questions?” 

Standing up straight, Claire swung her bag over her should and let out a frustrated huff. “Mr. Grady I gave plenty of time for questions. I have to be on a conference call in ten minutes, so you’ll have to make an appointment.” 

“What if I walk you to your office? And my name is Owen.” 

“Still won’t count.” 

“So what.” Owen shrugged and motioned for Claire to lead the way. 

She hesitated for a moment, but allowed him to walk with her. They headed towards her office in silence and she glanced over at him. “Didn’t you have a question?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Owen reached up and scratched the back of his head. “How long have you been working here?” 

Claire paused as she narrowed her eyes at him. “I didn’t mean a _personal_ question.” 

“Ok, when will the raptor paddock be finished?” 

Shaking her head she glared at him. “Barry asked that.” 

“Just checking if you maybe had a different answer.” 

“Nope,” Claire said as she reached for her door, dodging the look Zara was throwing at her. “Still a few months out, but the raptors will be spending time in the nursery until they are big enough.” 

“Good. That’s good.” 

“Anything else?” Claire asked. 

“That’s all for now. I’ll call you if I come up with something else.” 

Claire smiled warmly and motioned to the paper Owen had folded up and placed in his pocket. “You’ve got my number.” 

Owen grinned and winked as he patted his pocket. “I do.” 

Turning quickly to face her door before Owen could catch the flush on her cheeks, she waved over her shoulder and entered her office. 

Owen hurried back down the hall and met Barry by the elevator. “Thought you abandoned me for lunch.” Barry chuckled as he pushed the call button for the elevator. 

Glancing over his shoulder back down the hall, Owen shook his head. “Damn she’s hot.” 

“Claire?” Barry asked as he nodded. “If you like the fiery temper, business type woman.” 

“Why would you say that?” Owen wondered as they entered the elevator. “She seemed fine during the meeting.” 

“Oh, I agree.” Barry said quickly. “I’ve just heard rumors.” 

“How have you heard rumors already we haven’t been here a week.” 

Barry shook his head. “Maybe you should try coming out a few nights. Get to know some of the other workers around here.” 

As the elevator stopped at the next floor, picking up a few people, Owen shrugged off Barry’s comment. He wasn’t much of the social type. Preferring his own space. He had even turned down the employee housing, requesting land away from everyone else. There he built his own oasis, happy to live in his own world. “She’s still hot though.” 

“And out of your league. I’m sure she goes for the suites.” Barry paused as he looked at Owen’s shorts and t-shirt. “Not so much the rags.” 

“Hey,” Owen shrugged. “Opposites attract.” 

“New guys?” A guy asked butting into their conversation. 

Owen and Barry looked over at the guy, a few years younger than them and wearing a uniform that placed him as a worker in the park. Owen noticed his name tag which read Adam. 

“I just haven’t seen you around.” Adam added when neither Owen or Barry answered him. 

“Yeah started a few days ago with InGen.” Barry answered him. 

“Oh,” Adam perked up. “The raptors! I heard about that. Sounds awesome. I run the Gentle Giants area and love working with the dinos.” 

“Yeah, well, at least they won’t eat you.” Owen mumbled, a little annoyed that Adam butted in their conversation. He wanted to hear more of what Barry had to say about Claire. 

“You guys coming from the top floor?” 

Barry nodded. 

“Meeting?” 

Barry nodded again. 

“Oh, so you were talking about Ms. Dearing?” 

Owen snorted. He wasn’t going to get any good information from a kid who worked at one of the attractions. 

Adam went on unfazed by Owen’s response. “She’s a tough one alright. We call her Fire and Ice. Rumor has it she slept her way to the top. I mean she’s the only Female who holds the highest rank on this island. My thought on that?” Adam continued without waiting for Barry or Owen to answer. “I think she’s just one badass woman. She’s been here from the beginning, you know. Me? I’ve been here a year and find her tenacity enlightening. She knows what needs to be done and if you follow her directions she won’t have any problem with you. I’ve seen her completely flip on a guy much older than her once. Guy had it coming though. Rude man he was…” Adam trailed off as he caught his breath just as the elevator doors opened to the main floor. 

“Uh, thanks for that.” Owen patted Adam on the shoulder and hurried away from him. 

“Wow that kid can talk.” Barry pointed out as they hurried towards the exit, hoping they lost Adam in the growing crowd as they made their way through the innovation center. 

“Yeah, seems he’s got heart eyes for your woman.” Barry chuckled. 

Owen threw his head back as he laughed. “And you said I was out of her league?”

They walked in silence for a moment before stopping at a taco cart for lunch. “Fire and Ice.” Owen wondered out loud. He noticed the cashier quickly glancing towards the innovations center and knew what Adam told them was true. He leaned against the counter and smiled at the young girl. “Ms. Dearing have lunch here often?” 

“Yeah,” Tabitha, from her name tag, answered. “She usually sends her assistant down for her salad, but once in a while she gets it herself.” 

“Owen.” Barry warned. 

Ignoring him, Owen pressed on. “She get one today?” 

“Not yet. She eats around one.” 

Owen glanced at his watch and noticed it was only twelve-thirty. “You can go ahead and get the salad ready. I’ll bring it to her today.” 

“Oh,” Tabitha hesitated. “I’m not sure. The last new guy that tried that was fired. I’d hate to see you go so soon.” She threw him her best smile. If Owen didn’t have his eyes on Claire, Tabitha would have been exactly his type. 

“Trust me. I technically don’t work for her, so we’re all good here.” 

“You guys the ones from InGen?” 

Owen nodded. “So, she’s not my boss. Ms. Dearing’s usual please.”


	2. Chapter 2

Barry and Owen sat and ate their lunch with Claire’s salad sitting close to his tray. His eyes glued to the innovations center hoping luck was on his side. 

“What’s the plan?” Barry wondered, motioning towards the salad. 

“Well my main hope is she joins us for lunch, but if she doesn’t I will bring it up to her.” Owen explained. 

“And if her assistant comes for it?” 

Owen shrugged, popping the last bite of his first taco in his mouth. “Well I just run it up before she can get to the booth to pick it up.” 

Barry rolled his eyes. “Smooth.” 

Checking his watch once more his eyes rose to the innovations center. The flash of red hair immediately caught his attention. Luck was on his side. He waved to try and get her attention as she walked closer to them, but her eyes were locked on her phone. “Claire!” Owen called out before he even had the chance to think of a better way to get her to look his way. 

She hesitated and quickly looked around before looking back down at her phone, continuing towards the taco cart. 

“Hey, Dearing!” Owen called out again. 

This time Claire stopped in her tracks, spinning around towards the voice, her face settled in an annoyed glare as she prepared to lecture whichever employee on the appropriate way to get her attention. Her features immediately relaxed when she saw Owen waving at her. Glancing quickly over her shoulder at the taco cart and ignoring the grumbling in her empty stomach, she walked over towards them. “Dearing?” Claire asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“Well if you weren’t glued to your phone you would have noticed the first time I called for you.” He motioned towards her salad before she could respond. “Hungry?” 

“I—” Claire cut off as she concentrated on the salad container. “I…” She tried again, turning back towards the food cart. She gathered her thoughts before turning back towards Owen. “How did you…” She trailed off, hiding the urge to stomp her foot in frustration at the fact that he had her blubbering. 

“Lucky guess. Want to join us?” Owen gestured to the empty chair at their table. 

“Oh, erm…” Claire glanced down at her phone then back towards the innovation center and finally took a quick look around to see if anyone spotted her. She has never sat in public for lunch unless she had a meeting. Her lunch hour was spend picking at her lunch while she answered emails at her desk. During her climb up the corporate ladder, less and less colleagues asked her to join them for lunch. She had to admit it felt nice to be asked by someone who wasn’t constantly hitting on her. 

“Oh come on. Barry and I would like to talk more.” 

Biting her bottom lip as she tried not to laugh at his poor attempt to get her to eat lunch with them. She knew for a fact that he didn’t have any actual questions for her. He had already tried that one on her. But she couldn’t deny his smile and found herself walking towards the empty chair. 

Owen slid her salad towards her and she peeked inside, her eyes immediately shooting up towards him. “This is my usual order. How would you know?” 

“Tabitha helped a little.” Owen confessed. 

With a roll of her eyes, Claire picked up her fork and took a bite. “Thanks.” 

The three quickly fell into an easy conversation and Claire found herself actually relaxing. 

“What did you guys do before signing on with InGen?” Claire asked and Owen immediately waved his finger at her. 

“Oh no, no, no. You don’t get to ask—” he mimicked her as he used air quotes, “— _personal questions_.” 

“Ok, fine.” Claire smiled at him, “I’ve been working here for eight years and interned here before that.” She informed him, answering his earlier question.

“Oh wow,” Owen leaned his elbows on the table as he listened to her. “So you saw all this start.” 

Claire nodded as she took a bite of her salad. “Now my turn. What did you guys do before signing on with InGen?” She repeated her earlier question. 

“Navy.” Owen answered. 

“Military?” Claire raised an eyebrow in question, a sly smirk playing at the corner of her lips. 

Owen leaned back in his chair, folding his arms against his chest. “Impressed?” 

Unable to hide her burst of laughter, she quickly apologized. Owen looked across the table at Barry and found him snickering. His eyebrows furrowed, unhappy he missed the joke. 

“I’m impressed you were able to follow orders.” Claire said through her laughter. At that, Barry couldn’t hide his laughter anymore. 

Owen should have been offended. He knew that, but he couldn’t help but smile as he watched Claire’s face light up as she laughed. “Yeah, well,” he shrugged her off, leaning back in his chair with a smile on his face that he couldn’t seem to get rid of. “I quickly became the one giving the orders. I was in charge of the project we were working on.” 

Claire’s laughter died off as she leaned towards him. “What project?” She wondered. 

“I worked with dolphins.” 

“Awe,” Claire couldn’t help but sigh. Dolphins were always her favorite growing up. She quickly composed herself realizing just how relaxed she was becoming. She cleared her throat and sat up straight. “That’s quite a big difference. Going from Dolphins to raptors. You ready for that challenge?” 

“Hell yeah!” Owen said excitedly. He loved studying the marine animals and taking on this project with the raptors was a challenge he was eager to start. 

Getting lost in his excitement, Claire found herself studying his smile. The way it stretched to his eyes when he was really happy about something. His eyes… Claire lingered there for a moment, entranced in the way they sparkled when he laughed. She wasn’t sure how long she was lost in his features, but her world seemed to flip upside down when hazel eyes locked with hers. She could see everything in his eyes. Normally she would feel embarrassed if someone caught her starring at them, but with her eyes locked with Owen’s she felt something different. 

Barry cleared his throat to try and get their attention. He glanced down at his watch realizing they were scheduled to be down in the nursery five minutes ago. With another failed attempt to get Owen’s attention he kicked him under the table. 

Breaking his gaze from Claire, Owen shot daggers across the table towards his friend. 

“Just thought I should let you know it’s almost three.” Barry said, tapping his watch. 

“Three!” Claire shrieked, jumping to her feet. She should have been on a conference call with Mr. Masrani half hour ago. Her face paled as she looked down at her phone realizing she had a missed call from Zara and four text messages from her. “Shit.” She hissed. 

“Everything ok?” Owen asked, stepping towards her. 

“Huh?” Claire looked up at him and then back down at her phone as she sent a quick text to Zara. “Oh, yeah, just have a meeting I’m supposed to be in.” Turning to toss her garbage away she smiled as she backed away from Owen and Barry. “Thanks again for lunch, but I have to go.” Waving quickly, she turned away from them and hurried towards the innovation center. 

“Hey, wait up!” Owen called after her. 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Grady, but I’m late.” Claire said quickly as she picked up her pace. 

Owen easily kept up with her. “It’s Owen, and I’m walking this way, too.” 

“Oh,” Claire nodded. “Right, the lab.” She sighed, unable to not feel a little angry at Owen for distracting her through lunch. But she was even more angry at herself for being sucked in. She’s only had one relationship during her time here, and it ended because of her. She chose work over love. Her biggest flaw was the inability to let her emotions for someone get in the way of work. She glanced over at Owen as he walked beside her. How did she allow him to distract her so much? 

After her two year relationship with Andrew Carter, the senior veterinarian for the dinosaurs in the park, Claire swore off all men. Andrew stood by her as she rose up the corporate ladder, but once her ranking and pay exceeded his, the whole relationship changed. Their breakup sent Claire headfirst into her career, refusing to give herself any free time for men. After Andrew there were only a few who attempted to ask her out, but Zara is on top of all rumors on Claire and was quick to inform her that many of the male employees had a bet to see who could get her in bed. 

Now here she stood with Owen Grady pecking at the wall she had built. Did he have the strength to knock it down? Did she want to allow him to test that strength? Claire snuck a peek at him out of the corner of her eye and already saw him smiling at her. He wasn’t like other men. Men who immediately comment on her looks, outfit, or give some lousy joke about her red hair immediately followed by, _“We should go out some time.”_ She found herself actually enjoying being around him. His laid back attitude and the fact that he looks her in the eye when speaking has her questioning everything she ever said about men. 

Tuning back into the present, Claire listened as Owen and Barry spoke as the three walked. “You think they will all hatch?” Barry wondered as they walked up the steps to the innovation center. 

“I hope so.” Owen answered with a weak shrug. “Velociraptors thrive in packs. Wu says all four eggs are viable, so here’s to hoping.” 

“You think you will be able to train them for the military?” Claire asked as she pressed the elevator button. 

Owen grumbled under his breath “Look, I’m not for training them for attack dogs, or interested in them being our front line weapons. I’m in this for the research.” 

Claire raised her hands, palms towards Owen, “Ok, I didn’t mean to hit a sore spot.” 

“Don’t be sorry, I’ve worked with Hoskins for a few weeks, but he’s losing sight that these are animals and not robots.” 

The elevator doors opened and Claire stepped in, turning to smile at the two men waiting for their own elevator to go down to the lab. “Good luck.” She said as the doors shut. 

Being alone in the elevator, Claire glanced down at her watch and groaned. 45 minutes late for her meeting with Mr. Masrani. As the elevator rose to her floor, Owen’s words echoed in her head. She just couldn’t grasp how he was against the outcome of his training, but he still looked forward the the research part of it all. To her, if you’re not 100% into your job, you shouldn’t be doing it at all. The elevator doors opened and with a heavy sigh, Claire hurried down to hall towards her office. 

Zara stood up, a grin spread wide on her face as Claire approached her. “Lunch meeting run a little late?” 

“Shut up.” Claire grumbled as she hurried passed her assistant and rushed into her office. She could hear Zara laughing, but ignored her as she dove for her desk to log in for her conference call. 

“Ah, Claire,” Mr. Masrani smiled warmly as he adjusted his computer camera. “So nice of you to log in.” He joked, purposely looking down at his watch. 

Claire cleared her throat. “Sorry about that, Mr. Masrani. I had a last minute lunch meeting that ran over.” 

Mr. Masrani waved his hand absentmindedly. “Zara already filled me in. Are the trainers settling in ok?” 

Claire nodded, doing her best to hide the flush in her cheeks. “They seem very eager and ready for the raptors.” 

“Henry filled me in this morning on their progress. The four eggs seem to be right on track.” 

“Yes,” Claire agreed. “Due to hatch any moment.” 

“Sleeping arrangements for Mr. Grady set up so he’s close to the nursery?” 

Claire tilted her head, confused. All employees who lived on the island lived in an apartment building only minutes from the park. Why would Owen need special arrangements is he had an apartment? Mr. Masrani seemed to understand her unasked questions and answered, “Mr. Grady has requested land away from the park.”

“Oh?” Was all Claire could say. 

“Yeah, so please have a room available for him at the hotel. Vic would like Owen to be close to the raptors to be their nighttime feedings.” 

Flipping screens, Claire made the arrangements for a suite for Owen. “He’s all set.” Claire said as she hit the reserve button. 

XXX

“Oh I got her.” Owen bragged as soon as the elevator door closed, Claire now out of earshot. 

Barry snorted as he shook his head. “How long you going to be able to keep up that charming facade you got going on?” 

“I’m always charming!” 

With a roll of his eyes, Barry stepped into the elevator. The ride down to the lab was silent as Owen reminisced over lunch. 

The elevator doors opened and both men were greeted by a tall, dark haired man in a white coat. They followed him towards the eggs. “Seriously though,” Owen said softly to Barry. “She’s different. She’s…” 

“Way out of your league.” Barry reminded him. 

“Na, she just has to loosen up a little.” 

“Who are we talking about?” The doctor asked as he turned towards them. Owen glanced down at his jacked which read Dr. A. Carter. 

“No one.” Owen said quickly, not wanting it to get back to Claire that he was talking about her. 

Dr. Carter stifled an eye roll and motioned towards the eggs, one of them with a significant crack down the side. “I’m the vet that will be doing checkups on the raptors once they hatch. You can call me Andrew.” 

“Oh, they’re hatching!” Owen shoved by Andrew’s outstretched hand and hurried towards the makeshift nest. 

“Owen you need to bunker down and be ready for them to imprint on you.” Henry Wu directed. 

“Yeah, I know.” Owen waved him off as he studied on the one egg that shifted slightly. “Come on, girl.” he whispered to the egg.


	3. Chapter 3

Owen’s heart beat heavy in his throat as he watched the one egg continue to crack. Was he really ready for this? Was he going to be good enough? Sweat formed on his brow as another piece of egg fell off. The tip of a talon poked through and Owen gripped the side of the incubator to keep upright. The thought of actually being responsible to raise and train the raptor hatching had his knees shaking. He was both nervous and extremely excited to be taking on this challenge. 

“Owen you need to bunker down and be ready for them to imprint on you.” Henry Wu directed as he stepped beside Owen. 

“Yeah, I know.” Owen waved him off as he studied the one egg that shifted slightly. “Come on, girl.” he whispered to the egg. His eyes focused on the additional cracks, his hands in tight fists as he fought the urge to help her escape. 

“Heart rate for egg C is dropping.” Andrew informed the small group. 

“What does that mean?” Owen concentrated on the egg Andrew was now studying. 

“We have to remember some of these raptors may not survive the hatching process.” Andrew tried his best to keep the annoyance towards Henry out of his voice as he spoke to Owen. 

Seeing these animals as living, breathing, magnificent creatures was not common among the scientists. Andrew hated the word experiments or assets that he’s heard many of the lab workers and scientists use, including Henry. The dinosaurs Andrew cared for, he had a deep love and respect for. Something he clearly saw in Owen’s eyes. 

“May not survive?” Owen repeated as he leaned over to watch the still egg. The one beside it caught his attention as a long crack appeared down the side. “Egg B?” Owen pointed towards the egg and turned towards Andrew. 

“Yes,” Andrew answered, leaning in beside Owen to watch the process. 

“She ok?” Owen asked, turning back towards the monitors. 

“B?” Andrew clarified. “Yes, she’s got a strong heartbeat.” 

“How’s C?” Once Owen knew the two making progress were fine, he focused on the struggling egg. 

“Still dropping.” Andrew gave a heavy sigh and shook his head. 

Owen knelt down in front of the incubator and touched the egg lightly. “There has to be something we can do. She needs help.” 

Andrew let his chin drop to his chest as he shook his head. “I wish we could save them all, but she’s too weak and probably won’t survive hatching.” 

“So we can help her.” Reaching for the egg again, Owen pulled off a small piece that was ready to chip off. 

“Trust me, I know how you feel. She’s fading fast—” Andrew started and Henry was quick to finish his sentence. 

“— It’ll cost more to keep it alive than it would to just create a new one. Don’t worry though,” Henry said as he gestured towards four eggs far in the corner, scientists huddled around them. “Those four over there are backup.” 

“Backup?” Owen stood straight, eyes narrowed at Henry. 

“Another batch. They will be used to replace any that don’t survive here.” Henry clarified.

XXX

“Claire, raptor eggs are hatching.” Zara’s voice rang through her intercom. 

“Ok, on my way down, thanks, Zara.” Claire answered as she said her final goodbye to Mr. Masrani. 

By the time Claire made it to the lab, one egg was significantly ahead of the other three. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the lack of progress. “What’s wrong with the others?” Claire asked Henry. 

“Relax, Claire, they will all come on their own time. Though C won’t last.” Henry said softly, stepping closer to Claire. “I’d like to rid of the egg, but Mr. Grady insists on trying to see it through hatching.” 

Claire sighed heavily, knowing just how much money was lost on a single egg not hatching. She paused as she watched Owen, deep in concentration at the four eggs in front of him. As much as she wanted to just dispose of egg C, she couldn’t break Owen’s trance. 

Peeling her eyes from Owen, she turned towards Andrew and lowered her voice so not to disturb Owen. “Dr. Carter, five more minutes with egg C.” 

His head snapped in her direction, surprised by her words. She usually immediately demanded anything showing signs of not surviving be taken away. He watched at she quickly glanced away, her gaze falling back on Owen. Andrew watched her for a moment, his eyes flickering between Claire and Owen. No matter how many times he begged her to just open the budget more to help give some of the newborns a fighting chance. 

Despite Claire keeping her voice down when she spoke to Andrew, Owen heard her request. He turned slowly to glance back at Claire once he didn’t hear Andrew respond. “Oh come on, Claire, five more minutes? She’s hatching. She’s trying.” 

“I understand, Mr. Grady, but you have the healthy raptors you should be focusing on. I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do.” Claire explained. 

Andrew snorted, causing Claire to glare back at him. 

“I mean, spending thousands of dollars on an asset that has a very slim chance of surviving in the first place is not practical.” Claire corrected herself. “That money could be put towards the research to avoid these defects in future developments.” 

The room fell silent as Owen decided on arguing right now was going to take away from the raptors hatching. He turned back to the incubator, watching as egg A moved along, chipping away at its shell. 

Stepping beside Owen, Claire watched as the 1st raptor poked off its third piece of shell. Owen immediately bending over to try and peek inside the now large hole. 

Claire stepped back the moment the first raptor fully hatched. She fell in step beside Barry as they allowed Owen to be the only one beside the nest as the raptor emerged from her shell. 

Watching Owen closely, Claire studied the way his whole world gravitated towards the first hatchling. Henry had thrown gloves towards Owen, but he ignored them and took the squeaking baby into his bare hands. The room fell silent as he cradled the newborn in his hands. The baby raptor looked up at Owen, eyes locking as she gave a small squeak. 

“Hi, there…” Owen hesitated as he studied her features. He knew he was able to name them, so he made sure to take that process seriously. Her blue stripe stood out to him. It made her look unique from any raptor he’s ever seen. “Blue,” he finally sighed, nodding towards Andrew who wrote down the name. 

Smiling down at the raptor in his hands, Owen marveled over just how tiny she was. She fit perfectly in his hands. It was almost hard to believe something that looked so innocent would grow up to be one of the best hunters in the world. 

“C has flatlined.” Andrew said softly, his hand reaching out to lay lightly on Owen’s arm. “I’m sorry,” he apologized both having to interrupt his moment with Blue and to have to deliver that news. 

He placed Blue in the nest and lifted egg C. Cradling the unhatched egg, he contemplated on pulling the shell away to see what the baby looked like inside, but Henry snatched the egg away claiming it was to be evaluated for its weaknesses. 

Before Owen could say anything, egg B broke free and struggled to make a sound. Owen reached for that one, mesmerized by the similar blue stripe down its side as Blue’s. Though this one’s stripe was more faint. 

“Damn,” Henry shook his head as he watched the baby struggled to lift its head.

“What?” Owen asked, reaching out and protectively holding the raptor closer to him. 

“She’s got a birth defect. She won’t make it.” Henry informed him, looking down at Blue, squawking up at Owen. “Your healthy one, there, will kill her. Survival of the fittest.” 

“So what will happen to her?” Owen asked, holding the quiet raptor up to look more closely at it. 

Andrew sighed heavily. “We will put her down humanly.” 

“But there’s nothing wrong with her.” Owen protested. 

“I know,” Andrew agreed, his voice quiet. If there was one thing he hated about his job, was having to let an animal go without giving it a fair chance to fight. 

Henry stepped towards Owen, placing a hand on his shoulder. “These animals are not like your dolphins. They will kill anything that slows them down, doesn’t matter if they are siblings or not. These creatures are pack hunters. The weakest ones will be picked off first.” 

Owen glanced down at Blue who was desperately trying to get his attention. He didn’t need Henry to tell him what these raptors are capable of, but it was hard to look passed the innocent look on Blue’s face as she gave a long squeak. 

“Owen, you need to focus on the healthy one. There’s only a small window to form any sort of bond. Right now it’s looking for comfort, and food” Henry told Owen as he reached for the infant still cradled in his hands. “Andrew will take care of this.” 

At the sound of his name, he gave a heavy sigh before taking the quiet raptor away from Henry, cradling it just as gently as Owen was. Watching Andrew as he walked away, his eyes shifted to Claire as she stepped aside for Andrew to leave the room. 

“How many live ones?” Claire asked, Henry, avoiding Owen’s eyes. There was too much pain there. The same look Andrew had coming home many nights from a rough day. Claire learned a long time ago to stop letting the dinosaurs get to her the way they did with Andrew. She saw too many to even realize the ones that didn’t make it. There were always another batch of some species to focus on. 

“So far just the one Owen named Blue.” Henry informed her. 

Ignoring the conversation going on behind him, Owen reached for Blue once more, her squeaks quieting down as he cradled her. Her eyes blinked open and met Owen’s, both starring at the other. Smiling slightly, Owen caressed the side of her tiny snout with his thumb. “Hi, Blue.” He said softly, bringing his hands up closer to his face to study her a little more. Her eyes searched his features, doing the same to him. 

“Here,” one of the nursery techs handed Owen a syringe full of thick, dark brown liquid. “She needs to eat.” 

“This?” Owen twisted the syringe in his hand. 

“Yes, it’s ground up meat.” 

“Yummy,” Owen frowned as he brought the full syringe to Blue’s open mouth. She immediately responded, gobbling up the mush Owen fed to her. “Good stuff?” Owen chuckled as bits dribbled from the corners of her mouth. 

Moments after she ate, Blue curled herself in a tiny ball, fitting perfectly in Owen’s palm as she fell asleep. 

By the time he got her settled in her new nest, Owen remembered the last egg that was still in the incubator. Looking at the empty space two techs were cleaning, Owen called out for Henry, finding him, Barry, Claire and Hoskins standing around the four eggs from the other batch. “Hey,” Owen said as he approached them. “Where’s the last egg?” 

“Didn’t make it.” Henry responded, his voice muffled as he checked up on the eggs. 

“So that’s it? Just because she didn’t hatch as fast as Blue, you give up on her?” 

Hoskins turned towards Owen and gestured towards the four new eggs. “Look, these may be stronger and more viable for our project.” 

“These are living, breathing animals.” Owen argued, “You can’t just dispose of them whenever you want.” 

“Let’s walk.” Barry tugged at Owen’s shoulders. 

Allowing himself to be pulled away he caught Claire’s eyes once more before Barry guided him out of the lab. 

“He’s got a lot to learn.” Henry shook his head and went back to the eggs. 

“He will.” Hoskins spoke quietly, smiling down at the four new eggs. 

Claire stood, debating whether she should go talk to Owen, or focus on the paperwork that will be waiting for her from the three raptors that didn’t survive. Rubbing her forehead, she took a deep breath and excused herself. 

She bumped into Owen and Barry in the hall on their way back to the lab, something she planned on trying to avoid. The three stood silently, Barry suddenly taking an interest in reading a poster on the wall, while Owen stared hard at Claire. 

Nibbling her bottom lip, Claire shifted uncomfortably. She had no idea what to say. An issue that eventually built a wedge between Claire and Andrew. She never knew how to sympathize with him when he had to put one of the dinosaurs down. It aggravated Claire that he never understood her argument in just how much money was invested in each asset. Sometimes it’s just cheaper to put them down. Many nights were spent having the same argument. It was an argument Claire could feel if she opened her mouth right now. 

“So what’s the word of the four eggs?” Owen finally broke the silence. 

“Good. They all seem to be on track.” Claire answered. 

“Do you know how it went with Dr. Carter?” Owen asked, lifting his hand to scratch the back of his neck. 

“No,” Claire licked her lips. “I won’t know anything until the morning.” 

Owen nodded as his gaze shifted towards the lab doors. “I should check on Blue.” 

“Yeah,” Claire agreed. “I have you set up at the resort. Just check in at the front desk and they will get you a key to your room.” 

Owen tilted his head, confused. “I have my own place…” 

“I know,” Claire answered immediately. “Being that Blue needs a lot of attention from you right now, Mr. Masrani and Mr. Hoskins agreed to have you close to the lab. The resort is just a short walk away.” She explained. 

“Go.” Barry urged. “Blue will be sleeping for a while. I can take the next feeding. She should get to know me as well.” 

Owen nodded in agreement, unable to cover his yawn. What time was it anyway? 

“I can show you…” Claire shifted uncomfortably. “If you’d life.” 

Perking up, Owen couldn’t deny a request like that. Especially from Claire. He nodded once, turning to use his index finger to stroke Blue’s head as she slept. “When would her next feeding be?” Owen wondered. His focus turning towards Andrew as he walked back into the lab. 

“Next feeding is about four hours from now,” Andrew paused as he looked down at his watch. “So around 1am. Next after that is 4am.” 

“I got the 1am feeding.” Barry volunteered. “You get some rest and come for the 4am feeding.” 

Owen gave a weak nod, realizing just how long of a day it’s been already. “Ok, fine. I’ll sleep in the damn resort.” 

“Come on,” Claire offered, her eyes avoiding Andrews, which she could feel watching her closely. “I have my car, I’ll drive you.” 

Owen couldn’t help but smirk as he watched the flush spread across her cheeks. “I thought you said it was walking distance.” He teased. 

“Ok,” Claire shrugged. “Then walk.” She turned to leave as Owen hurried after her. 

“No wait!” He called as he followed her out of the lab. 


	4. Chapter 4

“Nice car.” Owen snorted, following Claire across the parking lot towards her Mercedes. 

“You should have gotten a car…” Claire trailed off, watching Owen round her SUV to the passenger side. 

Sliding in his seat, he sighed heavily, finally getting off his feet. “Oh I did, but I denied it. I brought my motorcycle over with me.”

“Right.” Claire laughed. “I probably should have known you would refuse to fit in at all.” 

“Fit in?” Owen snorted. “No thank you. That’s why I built my own place. No reason to be like the rest of you and live in one big happy gated community.” 

“Joke’s on you.” Claire said as she pulled into her parking spot under the carport. “I live here.” She pointed at the top floor of the resort. “No gated community for me.” 

Owen glanced in the direction she was pointing in and couldn’t hide the smirk on his face. “Whoa, so we are bunking together?” 

“What?” Claire shrieked, shifting uncomfortably. “No! You have a room on one of the main floors. The top two floors are apartments for those of us that need to be close to the park. Your _gated community_ is further away.” She explained. “So the main park employees live out there. Management mostly lives here.” 

“Well what’s your room number?” Owen asked as they walked up to the main entrance. He continued when Claire paused, turning to face him, eyes wide. “You know, if I need to borrow some milk or sugar.” He shrugged, throwing her his best innocent smile. 

“You have my cell number. Call me if you need something.” Claire said as she continued walking. “Besides you need a special key card to get to the top levels.” She continued on when she saw Owen’s mouth open to speak. “No you don’t get that key card.” 

Owen hung his head, defeated. She was good at her comebacks and for once in his life, he wasn’t going to finish last. 

“Hi, Erica.” Claire greeted the woman behind the counter. 

“Ms. Dearing,” Erica smiled warmly. She glanced down the hall most of the employees used so they didn’t have to go through the main entrance. Their elevator down that way opened with their key cards and went directly to the top floors of the resort. “Everything ok?” She asked, her gaze falling back on Claire. 

“No, no, everything is fine. I have an employee from the InGen project here,” Claire gestured towards Owen. “Mr. Grady needs to be close to the lab’s nursery for a while, so I had booked him one of the suites.” 

Erica’s eyes fell on Owen and she nibbled her bottom lip as she smiled at him. “Well,” Erica said softly. “Welcome, Mr. Grady. Glad you will be staying with us.” 

“It’s Owen.” He corrected, the correction geared more towards Claire than the woman behind the counter. 

“Owen.” Erica repeated, peeling her eyes from Owen’s biceps to search her computer. “Yes, Ms. Dearing has you set up on the first floor, room 1064.” 

Owen turned towards Claire as he took the keycard from Erica. “First floor?” 

“Yeah,” Claire raised an eyebrow, confused. “If you need to get to the nursery quickly, do you really want to wait for the elevator?” 

“Well, no…” The corner of Owen’s lips twitched as he fought to keep his face serious. “It’s just, you know so many floors between us.” 

With a roll of her eyes, Claire turned towards the hall where her elevator waited. “Twelve floors, to be exact, Mr. Grady.” 

“Owen!” He called out as he rushed after her. 

She paused before walking down the hall, chuckling when she noticed him following her. She reached out, grabbing his keycard. “Room 1064.” She pointed to the number and then the sign above her head which read _To Employee Elevator Only_. “Your room is on the other side of the lobby.” 

“Can’t a man escort you to your elevator?” Owen asked, tugging on Claire’s keycard she was clutching. Hesitating, she let go of it and he swiped it across the scanner before handing it back to her. 

“How chivalrous.” Claire grumbled. 

“Cant help it.” Owen winked and stepped towards the elevator as the doors opened. His hand laid on the open door, giving Claire an extra moment to step inside. 

Claire swallowed hard, her eyes lost in his. Normally she’d run from any man who tried to take care of her, but she was having a hard time understanding if Owen was being serious or not. “You better get some rest before you have to go feed Blue.” She said, forcing herself to step away from him, unsure of when she actually moved to stand directly in front of him. 

Someone behind them cleared their throat, causing Claire to stand stiff.

“Oh, hey, Dr. Carter.” Owen turned to face him. “How did it go?” 

Andrew reached back to rub at the tension in his neck. “Just great.” Andrew grumbled. 

“I didn’t mean…” Owen trailed off, noticing just how stressed he looked. 

“No, no.” Andrew patted Owen on the shoulder. “It’s always a rough night saying goodbye to any dinosaur. No matter their age.” 

“I bet. I don’t think I could have done it.” 

“Yeah,” Andrew sighed, his eyes landing on Claire who had backed up against the wall of the elevator, Owen’s hand the only thing keeping the doors from shutting. Their eyes met for a moment before he turned back to Owen. “You staying on the top level?” 

“No, I’m on this floor.” Owen answered, waving his keycard in the air. 

“Well, get some rest, Mr. Grady. It won’t be long before you have your pack to care for. Those other eggs are ready to hatch.” Andrew stifled a yawn and stepped into the elevator. He reached out, pushing his floor number and realized Claire’s wasn’t lit up. 

“Night.” Owen said, but his focus was on Claire. She smiled slightly as the doors shut. 

Andrew leaned against the wall beside Claire as the elevator climbed to his floor. “You planning on riding the elevator all night long, or were you coming to see me?” 

“Huh?” Claire looked over at him. 

Andrew gestured towards the floor buttons. “Fourteen is not lit up.” 

Claire swore under her breath and stepped forward to push her floor number. “I’m tired.” She covered. 

“Yeah, long day.” Andrew let his chin drop to his chest, images of the babies he spent some time cuddling before letting them go. 

Claire knew that look. She knew the pain he was in, but she just couldn’t find the words to sympathize with him. They only thing she could think about was the paperwork he probably left on her desk. 

“Did you check in on the other batch?” Claire asked, her focus turning to the other raptor eggs instead of the ones no longer alive. 

“That’s it?” Andrew raised his head, his eyes locking with hers. “I just dealt with three dead baby raptors and you ask me about the viable ones?” 

“Well, yeah.” Claire pushed off the wall, her arms folded tight against her chest. 

“Damn it, Claire.” Andrew reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I don’t want to keep fighting over this.” 

“That’s the whole reason why you moved out.” Claire’s stare was ice cold as she silently dared him to start an argument with her now. 

“I just wish you would understand—” Andrew started, but Claire cut him off. 

“And I wish you would understand! I get thrown shit from all over this damn park and the only thing you are ever worried about is I don’t care for those animals. I do care, but I have to focus on so much more than a single life.” She yelled, her voice echoing off the bare walls of the elevator. 

“I’ve tried to understand.” Andrew said through gritted teeth. 

“Oh, yeah? I came home from three non-stop days of meetings back in the states and I find your stuff gone! You left me, Andrew. That’s not trying.” 

“I needed space.” He couldn’t deny the fact that he was still just as in love with her as the day they met. He hated himself every day for walking away from her, even more so that he did it while she was away. But as the days went on he noticed her more involved in work that them. He missed the person she was before she held her rank. 

“Space.” Claire snorted. “I was in California! How much more space could you want?” 

The elevator doors opened and Claire snapped her mouth shut. Why was she fighting with him? She swore to herself that she wouldn’t care anymore. They have been broken up for almost a year, but for Andrew, it still felt very new.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Claire.” Andrew said as he held down the button to keep the doors opened. 

“Little late for that.” Claire mumbled, rolling her eyes. She had locked her heart away, the trust she had in Andrew was gone and there was no way she’d ever be able to put that trust back in him. 

Andrew stood silent, eyes pleading with Claire. He missed the way she would do all she could to comfort him after a day like today. Those days early on in their relationship, before her final climb up the corporate ladder. 

Claire, unfazed by the pain in his eyes, shoved by him. She understood he was hurting, but so was she. Hurting by the fact that after two years together he could up and walk out. No warning. No explanation. He left her abandoned and broken. He left her alone. 

“Where are you going?” Andrew called after her. 

“Taking the stairs.” She snapped back. 

Andrew glanced down at his finger, still holding down the button. Sighing heavily he shook his head. He should have known that wouldn’t be enough to keep her there with him. Jumping slightly when he heard the stairwell door slam shut, he finally lifted his finger off the button and walked towards his apartment. 

XXX

Claire stepped out in the damp morning air and breathed in deeply. Most workers and guests were still asleep, so Claire always took advantage of her early morning run around the lagoon. The sun had yet to rise and even with the dinosaurs quiet, Claire enjoyed the feeling that she was the only one on the island. 

Finishing her first lap, she found herself rounding the corner for a second loop around the lagoon. Her argument with Andrew was still fresh in her mind, giving her extra energy she needed to run off. 

The shadow swooping in from her right side caused her to yell out, tripping over herself. Owen’s eyes were wide beside her as he tugged at the cords to his earphones. 

“Damn! You trying to give me a heart attack, Woman?” Owen panted, bending over to rest his hands on his knees to try and catch his breath. 

“Me?!” Claire gasped, gripping her shirt over her heart. “What about you!” 

“Everything ok down there!” One of the park’s security guards called out as he flashed his light on them. “Ms. Dearing?” His voice was cautious as he approached them. He knew she ran that patch most mornings and that the scream came from her. 

“Yeah, Raul, I’m fine.” Claire waved him off and he immediately turned down another path to patrol. 

“You run with the secret service out here or something?” Owen laughed, his breathing becoming more normal. 

“No. That’s the overnight security guard. I run here every morning.” Claire explained. She suddenly straightened up, her mind finally catching up with her. “You following me, Mr. Grady?” 

Owen scoffed as he shook his head. “Hardly! I just got done with Blue’s 4am feeding. This is the usual time I go for a run.” 

“I find that hard to believe.” 

“Yeah,” Owen agreed, turning to look out over the lagoon. “I’ve never actually watched the sun rise. No way am I usually up at this time.” Ignoring Claire’s chuckle he continued. “I know if I go back to bed now, my whole day is going to be off, so I decided to go for my run now.” Owen reached out to poke Claire’s hip. “Didn’t expect to run into you, but I’d like a running buddy. You know,” He shrugged and threw her a smirk that had her knees shaking. “If you can keep up with me.” 

“Excuse me, but this is my running trail, so technically I’m allowing you to come along with me.” Claire shoved his shoulder before turning to set a slow pace, giving him a chance to jog beside her. “Besides, I’m not racing you.”

“Oh, come on, Dearing! Gotta have some fun in life. We are halfway around the lagoon,” Owen explained and pointed towards a worker setting up a small food cart just outside the resort doors. “Last one to the coffee cart buys.” 

Claire stopped jogging and stared at Owen’s outstretched hand. 

He caught the hesitation on her face and tapped the back of his hand against hers. “Live a little. Have some fun.” 

“I take my coffee with cream and one sugar.” Claire smiled as she took his hand in hers, giving him a tight shake. 

Before he could say anything she spun around and ran full speed. 

“That’s ok!” Owen called after her. “I was going to give you a head start anyway.” He was impressed that it actually took him a minute to catch up with her. Falling in step at her heels, Owen found his view much better than any spot on the island. The few times he had run ins with Claire was only during work hours. She was beautiful and pristine in her perfectly tailored outfits. Though she looked stunning in work clothes, his favorite was the one she had on now. Her leggings hugged her in all the right places, her shirt was short enough that he was focused on the small amount of skin that peeked through where her shirt didn’t quite meet the top of her pants. 

Claire knew he was letting her win, even as she slowed down from exhaustion. He always stayed just behind her. She slowed some more, turning her head slightly to see Owen staying in step behind her. “You know one thing I hate?” Claire panted. 

“What’s that?” 

“Idiot men trying to be the big macho man that let the woman win.” 

“Good thing I’m not one of those men.” He wasn’t lying. He wasn’t really planning on letting her win. He just couldn’t bring himself to leave his current view. 

He caught her falter and knew her mind will eventually realize why he was standing behind her. He said a silent goodbye to his view and swerved around her. “All the good runners keep pace with their opponents until the last few seconds of the race.” He covered and winked at her as he rounded the final corner. 

Claire eyed the shortcut she takes some mornings when she wants to cut her run short and immediately turned up the small path that would lead her directly to the resorts front door. 

“Cheater!” Owen called after her, picking up his pace to still try and beat her. 

“It’s not cheating when you just said first one to get to the cart!” Claire yelled back. 

Owen fell into a flat out sprint when Claire approached the cart. He immediately realized it was a mistake when Claire’s path was going to cross his. Her focus was on the cart and not where he was. Doing his best to slow down he watched Claire approach and knew the collision was unavoidable. “Incoming!” Owen called out just as Claire’s head snapped towards him. His arms were around her doing his best to keep them both upright. Together they stumbled a few steps, but both stayed standing. “Sorry.” Owen said through gasps. His arms stayed around Claire, enjoying the moment. Nothing in his life felt as right as she did right now. He felt her vibrating in his arms and tuned into her reaction. She was laughing. No, she was hysterically laughing. 

“You’ve got to work on those breaks, Mr. Grady.” Claire managed to get out through hysterics. 

“You ok?” He asked, finally letting his arms drop as she stepped away from him. 

“Me?” She asked and shook her head. “I’m fine.” 

Finally catching their breath, Owen motioned towards the coffee cart. “You won, so my treat.” 

Claire cleared her throat when she noticed the attendant starring wide eyed at her. “G- Good morning, Ms. Dearing.” The attendant stuttered. 

Finding herself in a really good mood, Claire smiled warmly at her. “Good morning, Anna,” she said reaching for her coffee.

Once Owen paid, Claire followed him towards the main entrance to the resort. She hesitated when he sat down on a bench facing the park. Glancing back at the door, she nibbled her bottom lip as she fought with herself on what to do. 

“Sun will be rising soon.” Owen pointed out as he patted the bench beside him. 

Claire glanced down at her watch. She had an hour before she had to be at work. 

“Sit down, Dearing.” Owen said, reaching out and wrapping his fingers around her wrist. 

She let him tug her towards him and sat down. Taking a sip, she looked out at the sky starting to turn a bright shade of pink. “It’s Claire.” 

“Yeah,” Owen smiled, sipping his coffee. “I know.” 

“I hate nicknames.” 

“I hate being called Mr. Grady.” 

“Sorry,” she chuckled. “It’s a habit.” 

“But you call most of the park employees by their first name.” He wondered. 

“The ones I know well enough, yes.” Claire agreed. “I have never called Simon by his first name, or Dr. Wu. It’s just out of respect.” 

Owen nodded, understanding that. “So you don’t know me well enough to call me by my first name?” He couldn’t help but tease. 

She turned to face him, tilting her head as she studied his face. “No I don’t.” 

“But you respect me enough to call me Mr. Grady?”

Claire smiled. “Yes I do.”

“Well, what are we on now,” Owen hesitated as he thought. “Two days of knowing each other?” 

Claire nodded as she sipped her coffee. 

“Well, here’s the deal. I’ll stop calling you Dearing when you start calling me Owen.” 

Claire met Owen’s smile and glanced down at his cup raised towards her. “Fine,” she tapped her cup against his. “Owen.” 


	5. Chapter 5

“Hey,” Andrew greeted Owen as he walked into the lab’s nursery, clapping Owen on the shoulder. “How’s she doing?” 

Turning his head to glance quickly at Andrew before letting his gaze fall back on Blue, Owen smiled wide. “She’s doing really well.” He reached out and rolled her onto her stomach and turned back towards Andrew. “She’s already trying to lift her head.” 

Both men watched Blue squeak a few times as she struggled to lift her head. She kicked out her left leg, flipping herself back onto her back and let out a long squeak. 

“Tenacious.” Andrew chuckled. “She’s trying to stand up. Should only be another week before she will have enough strength in her neck and legs to start moving around.” 

Owen nodded as he listened, his eyes staying locked on Blue. “How are the other eggs? I haven’t been over there yet this morning.” 

“Just came from there actually. Small crack on one of the eggs, but no active hatching yet.” Andrew informed him. 

“Great, I don’t even have a schedule down for one and now the others are starting to hatch.” 

Andrew reached out and patted Owen on the back. “You have Barry. Besides you’ve only got one out of four the first round…” Andrew sighed heavily, leaning over the glass barrier to reach in and pat Blue’s head. 

“You think it’ll be the same turnout?” Owen wondered. “You can’t have a pack with just two raptors.” 

“Na,” Andrew shook his head. “All four of these eggs seem pretty strong. I’m confident at least half with survive. Three or four raptors would be a good size pack for you to handle.” 

Owen nodded in agreement, both men falling silent as they watched Blue do her best to move around her nest. Unable to fight the urge anymore, Owen scooped her up and she immediately curled up in his hands. 

“She likes you.” Andrew smiled, leaning forward to watch her relax in Owen’s hands. 

“Guess that’s a good thing. When should I expect her to attempt to bite a finger off or something?” 

Andrew laughed as he stood up straight to answer Owen. “You’ve got another few weeks. You should put in a request for protective gear. Claire usually approves stuff like that pretty quickly.” 

“Oh, Its got to go through her?” Owen asked, doing his best to try and keep his voice normal and hide the excitement that he may have an excuse to see her. 

“Yeah, I can run it up to her if you’d like. I have to hand in Rexy’s stats later on anyway.” Andrew offered. 

“No, I can do it, but thanks.” Owen said quickly, hesitating on the second part of what Andrew said. “Rexy? As in the infamous T-rex?” 

Andrew nodded. 

“You have to give her checkups?” 

“Well,” Andrew laughed at Owen’s wide-eyed stare. “She’s asleep when I do it, but yes, I have to make sure the queen of the island is healthy.” 

“Mind if I tag along?” Owen asked, placing Blue back in her nest for the rest of her morning nap. 

“Yeah, sure.” Andrew answered and gestured back towards the door. “I just have to finish my rounds in here and I’ll be heading over. Normally doesn’t take that long. Claire gets pissed when Rexy’s not fully awake for her first showing.” He couldn’t help but sound bitter at the end of his sentence. 

Owen wanted to say something. He wanted to defend her, but Andrew was not the first employee to comment on Claire’s fierce temper. The woman he hung out with before sunrise that morning was not anything like anyone has explained. Sure he’s seen her in action during the meeting yesterday morning, but he didn’t see any reason to pin her as bitchy. 

“Be back in a bit.” Andrew said, pulling Owen from his thoughts. 

Owen pulled up a chair and settled in on watching Blue sleep while he waited for Andrew to come back. 

“Hey… Owen…” Andrew shoved Owen’s arm, causing him to jolt upright from his slumped over position. He had fallen asleep while watching Blue nap. 

“Damn,” Owen stretched and stood up, the muscles in his legs finally punishing him from his run this morning. “Son of a bitch.” He groaned as he forced his muscles to stretch out. 

“Rough night?” Andrew laughed as he led the way out of the nursery. 

“No, rough morning. I pushed myself a little too hard during my run.” 

Andrew glanced quickly in Owen’s direction. “You’re a morning runner?” 

Owen snorted and shook his head. “Not normally, but I didn’t think it would be too smart to go back to sleep for two hours, so I went for a run instead. It’s only 8am and I’m already regretting that decision.” 

“Oh,” Andrew nodded slowly. He immediately thought back to when Claire used to force him out of bed to run with her. He wanted to ask Owen if he happened to see her out there. Did she still run? Many mornings after they broke up he tried to get himself to wake up to meet her for her morning run, but he had to admit, he just wasn’t a morning person. Besides the one time he actually dragged himself out of bed she was no where to be found.

Owen paused outside the T-Rex’s paddock, he couldn’t help feeling like he was nine again. “I’ve been here a week and I haven’t been around the park yet. Sort of wish I had.” He admitted as he looked around at the setup. 

“No worries, you’ll be here for a while. It’s surprising, but you get used to them.” Andrew explained. He scanned his badge and Owen followed him into the holding pen. An ACU team was already set up, ready with the tranquilizer guns. 

Andrew placed his bag on the ground and sifted through, pulling out everything he would need. “Ready?” He asked, looking up at Owen. 

He nodded, eyes wide with excitement. 

“Ok, guys, I want one shot each.” Andrew stepped behind the ACU team with Owen practically bouncing beside him. 

Once Rexy was asleep, one of the ACU men checked her over, waving for Andrew to approach. Owen stood silent as he watched Andrew 

  
XXX

  
Settling into her chair, Claire let out a long whine when she noticed the pile of paperwork. She immediately started shuffling through, sorting out the most urgent first. She was just settling into a steady pace through the paperwork when her intercom went off. “Claire, Andrew is ready for the T-Rex.” Zara’s voice rang through. 

Glancing at her watched, she groaned heavily before pressing the button to answer her. “On my way.” Claire said and made her way to the control room. 

Most of the time Claire liked to oversee the examinations on the larger dinosaurs. She liked being an extra set of eyes in the control room, making sure both dinosaur and humans stay safe. Plus is was always her way of making sure Andrew stayed safe. After they broke up she still found herself anxious whenever he was face to face with one of the carnivores. It was a hard habit to break. 

“Anything new?” Claire wondered as she took her normal spot between Vivian and Lowery. 

“Nope.” Lowery answered, leaning back in his chair. “Everyone is on schedule for opening for the day.” 

Claire nodded her approval. “Paddock nine. Dr. Carter is giving the T-Rex it’s examination.” She said, pointing at the larger screen in the center of the wall. Vivian immediately brought up the feed from the paddock and Claire gasped, immediately trying to hide it with a cough. Was that Owen with Andrew? 

Studying the screen, Vivian squinted her eyes. “Who’s with Dr. Carter?” 

“I think that’s the new raptor trainer.” Lowery answered her. 

“Animal Behaviorist.” Claire corrected. 

“Yeah,” Lowery agreed. “What’s his name? Owen.” 

“Oh, Owen Grady! He’s got quite a few fans.” Vivian leaned forward to try and see Owen better. 

“Fans?” Claire repeated. 

“Yeah, Cassandra asked him to go to Margaritaville tomorrow night. Becky gave him free breakfast this morning. Anna…” Vivian trailed off at the wave of Claire’s hand. 

“Ok, I get it.” She took a deep breath, trying to force away the tinge of jealousy she felt. 

“Look girls,” Lowery grumbled with a roll of his eyes. “It’s a new shiny toy!” 

“With muscles.” Vivian added.

“You guys need to get new topics to talk about.” Claire said with a shake of her head. 

Glancing down at her watch, she tapped her foot impatiently as she glared at the live feed. Andrew had taken his time, allowing Owen to step up beside the T-Rex. Claire couldn’t help the panic that gripped at her heart. Narrowing her eyes as she watched Andrew motion for Owen to touch the sleeping carnivore. Her hands balled into tight fists, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest as Owen’s hand touched the T-Rex. Unable to contain her anxiety she reached over Vivian’s shoulder and grabbed her phone, her focus on the radio clipped to Andrew’s pants. _“Dr. Carter,”_ she didn’t bother to hide the aggravation in her voice. “This is not show and tell, please finish your examination. Park is opening in fifteen minutes. I want that asset ready for it’s first showing.” 

At the sound of Claire’s voice through the radio, Andrew fumbled for a moment as he tried to unhook it from his belt. The corner of Claire’s lips twitched as she kept from smiling. He was caught and he knew she was pissed. 

“Finishing up now.” Andrew said quickly. 

Owen’s eyebrow raised as he listened to Claire’s voice over the radio. She even sounded sexy though the static of the airways. 

“Shit.” Andrew grumbled as he cleaned up. “Sorry, Owen. If she calls you into her office just blame it on me.” 

“Blame what on you? Why would I get called to her office?” Owen wondered. 

“The Ice Queen doesn’t like anything off schedule.” One of the ACU officers said, pointing at the camera and laughing when Andrew jumped to his feet, glaring at him. 

Owen opened his mouth to defend Claire, surprised at how angry actually hearing someone call her that made him, but Andrew beat him to it. 

“Hey, Dean, enough.” Andrew shook his head, sending him a warning glare. 

As if on cue Andrew’s cell phone rang. With a heavy sigh he answered it, turning away from Dean and the other officers laughter. “Hey.” Andrew said, answering the phone. 

_“We need to talk.”_ Claire said, immediately hanging up the phone. 

“Shit.” Andrew swore under his breath. 

Dean laughed at the look on Andrew’s face. Clapping his hand down on his shoulder, “Been a while since you’ve been summoned for punishment.” 

“Shouldn’t you be back at your post by now?” Andrew snapped and turned towards Owen. 

“Guess I’m up first. Why don’t you head back to the lab and I’ll meet up with you later.” 

Owen started walking with Andrew back out of the paddock leaving the T-Rex to wake up on her own. 

“Is she really that mad?” Owen asked as they crossed the park now sparkled with the first few guests of the day. 

“She’ll get over it. I’ll talk to her.” 

The two separated as Owen entered the lab and Andrew went right for the elevators. 

Owen reached for his phone immediately searching for Claire’s name. He sent her a quick text. **You’re mad?**

He was relieved that she responded almost immediately. Andrew must not have made it to her office yet. **You shouldn’t have been in there. These dinosaurs are dangerous.**

Owen smiled as he typed his response. **Worried about me? Trust me, I can take care of myself. Look I’m sorry if I got Andrew in trouble. I asked to go with him. I’ll make it up to you. Anything you want.**

Owen began to wonder if he crossed a line when her response wasn’t immediate like before. He starting to type another apology, but before he could send it, she replied. **Trying to bribe me, Mr. Grady?**

Owen’s eyes grew wide, immediate butterflies flocked through his stomach. Was she flirting with him? He could definitely play that game. **Just say the word, Dearing, I can fulfill any desire you may have.**

Claire’s eyes grew wide, her phone gripped tightly in her hands as she reread Owen’s last text. She often hated texting because she could never decipher the tone of the other person’s words very well, but this was definitely flirting. Her stomach fluttered as she scrambled to think of a response. She was never very good at flirting, but she didn’t want this conversation to end. 

The intercom beeped on Claire’s desk, causing her to jump in surprise, her phone clattering to the floor. _“Dr. Carter is here.”_ Zara informed her. 

Clearing her throat, Claire pressed her finger down on the call button to respond. “Send him in.” She said and quickly dropped to her knees to search for her phone that slid under her desk. 

“Claire?” Andrew said softly as he looked around the empty office. 

“Here!” Claire called out, jumping to her feet. She waved her phone in the air. “Dropped it.” She explained and sat back down in her chair. She let out a deep breath, doing her best to cool the heat in her cheeks from Owen’s text. 

“Look,” Andrew started, sitting down in one of the chairs opposite Claire. “I’m sorry I allowed him to come with me. The first showing is not for another twenty minutes. She’ll be nice and angry from being tranqued. Should be a good show.” Andrew did his best to come up with anything that would ease her anger. 

Glancing down at her phone she couldn’t hide her smile. “You know what,” Claire sighed and leaned back in her chair. “It’s fine. You’re right. Just stop through the control room to make sure she’s up and ready. Call me if she isn’t. I have a meeting or I’d go check myself.” 

Andrew stuttered for a moment, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips as he focused on her smile. It’s been a while since he brought out a smile like that on her. She looked relaxed and happy. “Sure, I’ll head over there now.” He stood up and paused at the door, turning slightly to see Claire looking down at her phone, her smile still in place. “That looks good on you. I’ve missed that look.” Andrew said, motioning towards her smile when she looked up at him. 

Claire nodded and waved at Andrew as he slipped out of her office. Focusing back on her phone she nibbled her bottom lip before sending Owen her response. **Is that a promise?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks you to those that have been reading and leaving kudos. I'm having so much fun writing this story! My motivation is driven by reviews, so let me know what you think of each chapter! There's some exciting things coming up and I really look forward to reading everyone's reactions.

Claire had just hung up the phone after her conference call and stood up to stretch. Her stomach growled and she checked her watch, huffing when she realized just how late the call had gone. Walking to her door she pulled it open a crack, peeking out to see Zara was not at her desk. She must have gone to lunch. Just as Claire was about to shut her door the elevator dinged and Owen stepped out. 

Claire immediately jumped away from her door, unsure if he saw her. She gripped her stomach, trying to keep it from turning in knots. Her cheeks flushing red as she thought about their texts earlier. 

The soft knock on her door caused her to jump. Spinning on her heels, she darted back to her desk, flinging herself in her chair. Taking a moment to compose herself and make it look like she was in the middle of something, she flipped open her laptop, positioning it directly in front of her. 

The second round of knocks were louder than the first and Claire cleared her throat. “Yeah?” 

The door opened slightly and Owen poked his head inside. “Hey, sorry, Zara wasn’t out here, so I figured I’d just knock.” 

“Oh,” Claire waved him in. “It’s fine. She’s at lunch.” 

“And you?” Owen wondered as he stepped into her office and shut the door behind him. “The whole floor is vacant.” 

“Me?” Claire asked and motioned for him to sit down. She noticed the papers in his hand and was a little relieved he wasn’t coming up to ask her about their conversation. 

“Lunch.” Owen clarified. “Andrew and I were at the taco stand. We saw Zara head to one of the restaurants with some people, but you never came for your salad.” 

Claire raised an eyebrow as she leaned back in her chair. “You’re observant.” She pointed out with a small smile that would’ve had Owen weak at the knees if he wasn’t already sitting. 

“Well, yeah,” Owen agreed, following Claire’s motion. “Just looking out for you.” 

“Thanks, but I can take care of myself.” She repeated his statement from earlier. 

“Oh I don’t doubt that.” He quickly agreed. 

Claire shifted in her chair, trying to keep the fire she felt in her gut from flashing in her cheeks. Many men have tried flirting with her before, but with Owen it was different. She wanted it. The more he flirted the hotter he got. The pull he had on her was something she’s never felt before and she was unsure how to react to it. Sure she loved Andrew, but he was safe, careful and extremely predictable. He’s the perfect guy to settle down and have a normal life with. That was exactly what Claire thought she wanted in a man. Where she led, Andrew followed. But she got bored quickly with Andrew’s lack of confidence. He would immediately back down if she got mad about something. He would be quick to give her what she wanted. There was no challenge in the relationship for Claire. Even their sex life was predictable which was something Claire hated. She liked being dominant in bed, but Andrew never made it passionate. Claire wanted heat, lust, and sometimes she needed to have a chance to fight for control. 

Owen was nothing like Andrew. He was confident and strong. He didn’t seem intimidated by her. It was almost like he saw her as a challenge and she was more than willing to see if he could handle what she was capable of throwing at him. 

“So besides checking in on me, what are you doing here?” Claire asked, glancing down at the papers in Owen’s lap. 

“Oh, right.” He slid the packet across her desk and watched as she skimmed it over. “Andrew had mentioned that the safety gear I will need would have to be approved through you.” 

Claire flipped through the couple pages and sighed the last page. “Looks good to me. I will send it through.” She smiled up at him, clicking her pen closed and bringing the end to her lips. “How’s your raptor doing?” 

“Blue?” Owen asked, his eyes locked on the pen. “She’s great. Crazy to think I’ll be needing that gear to handle her soon.” 

“The other eggs should be hatching soon, right?” 

“Yup,” Owen drew out the word, watching Claire swipe the pen along her bottom lip. 

“Well,” Claire put the pen on the desk and stood up. “I was actually on my way down to grab my lunch before you came in.” She confessed, unable to hide her smirk as he shifted in his chair. 

“I’ll walk down with you. Got to get back to the lab.” Owen offered. 

Claire nodded and started walking towards the door, followed by Owen. They were both silent as they waited for the elevator. Once the door opened, Owen placed his palm on Claire’s back allowing her to enter first. Her breath hitched with the contact, but she recovered quickly, turning to smile at him. 

It was a move Owen had been contemplating since they walked out of Claire’s office. Walking side by side, their hands within inches of touching, Owen’s fingers tingled to reach out and touch her. The way her soft, silk blouse moved against her as she walked, had him screaming on the inside for contact. 

Owen was never shy when it came to putting moves on a woman he was attracted to. It was always obvious the woman wanted him to make the first move, and he did with confidence. If it was up to him he would have lunged himself at Claire the moment he stepped into her Office. The flirting was there, he knew that for a fact. She was testing him and he was ready for the chase. 

The moment he reached out to guide her into the elevator, he held his breath, waiting for some sort of reaction. The smile she gave him in return was enough to knock him to his knees. Letting his hands drop to his side once the elevator door closed, he gripped the handrail to keep himself in place. Visions of her wrapped around him as he held her up against the elevator wall drove him crazy. But if he made that move would she want it or would she be offended? He wasn’t sure he was ready to find out. If he was reading her wrong, or made a move too quickly, he didn’t want to end up pushing her away. So right now he settled on the visions in his head and only imagining what her lips tasted like, or the heat of her body pressed up against his. 

“How are your legs?” Claire asked, startling Owen out of his X-rated thoughts. 

“Legs?” Owen asked, clearing his throat and glancing down at Claire’s legs. The way her skin looked, so smooth and soft. Her tight skirt hugged her hips perfectly. The bottom of her skirt cutting off just above her knees. 

Claire smiled wide when she caught his gaze drop to her legs. She shifted slightly, leaning against the bar behind her and kicked her right leg across her left. “Your legs, Owen.” 

“Ha!” Owen let out a loud laugh, his eyes shooting back to her face. “I knew that.” There was no sense on trying to make an excuse for himself. He was caught and she was enjoying the attention he was giving her. 

Claire couldn’t help but laugh. “Was just wondering after your run this morning. Mine are killing me.” 

“Yeah, me, too.” He said with a wink.

“I—” Claire cut off, confused of who’s legs he was talking about. By the wink and heart-stopping smilie, she had a pretty good idea. 

Owen pushed off the wall, turning slightly to face Claire, his arms folded against his chest. His smile made his eyes sparkle and it was Claire’s turn to forget how to breath. 

Claire was definitely giving the green light. It was clear she liked the way he was looking at her. Maybe making a move right now is what she wants. Stepping closer to Claire, Owen let one hand drop to the bar beside her hip, leaning forward and opened his mouth to speak, but the elevator door opened with a ding. 

Claire stood straight, turning her head to look at him, both standing only inches apart. She raised an eyebrow before allowing her focus to drop down to his lips and smiled. “Saved by the bell.” She said softly as others stepped onto the elevator. Before the doors could close, she slipped out unable to trust herself near him at the moment. Even with an elevator full of people. She wasn’t on the main floor yet, but the stairs seemed like a safe alternative. 

Owen stood silently at the back of the elevator, his mouth hung open in surprise. She left him stranded there. He gave an unsteady laugh at himself as he leaned back against the wall. She was definitely going to play hard to get. He was going to enjoy this chase. 

XXX

The afternoon dragged on as Owen sat in the lab caring for Blue and watching the other eggs. Every time someone walked into the nursery he perked up, hoping to see Claire. By the time the sixth or seventh person walked through, Owen almost gave up hope, but the heels clicking in the hallway just outside the nursery doors had Owen sitting up straight, placing Blue back in her nest. 

His heart dropped when a tall, thin, blond hair and big blue eyed woman walked into the nursery. Her white lab coat was just as long as her skirt— which was a few inches above her knees. She paused when her eyes landed on Owen, a flirtatious smile playing at the corners of her lips. It was almost as if a lioness had spotted her prey. 

Owen returned her smile and pursed his lips as he looked back down at Blue. She wasn’t the woman in heels he was hoping for. He couldn’t hide the disappointment as his shoulders slumped forward, a pout forming on his lips. 

“Hi,” The closeness of her voice caused Owen to jump. 

He peered up at her with a friendly smile. “Hey.” He responded, unsure how she got so close without him hearing her heels on the floor. 

“I’m Veronica.” She said, her outstretched hand waiting to make contact with Owen’s. 

“Owen.” He simply stated and shook her hand. 

“Aww…” Veronica cooed, leaning down, purposely giving Owen a clear view of her cleavage, and marveled over Blue. Her face softened as she watched Blue leaning into Owen’s hand. “You’ve got a soft touch there, Daddy.” 

Owen stiffened, his head snapping in her direction and eyes wide. “Excuse me?” He double checked her outfit, making sure she was actually a worker. “Who did you say you were?” He asked, trying his best to look at her badge hooked to her lab coat, but it hung dangerously close to her breast which had Owen shifting uncomfortably. He didn’t want her to think he was starring at them, though they weren’t very hard to miss. 

“Veronica, silly.” She chuckled, playfully swatting at his shoulder. 

Owen couldn’t hold back the eye roll. On a normal day he’d have no problem asking her for drinks and ending the night tangled in his sheets, but he found her lack of self control and maturity unattractive. 

“Dr. Roman,” Andrew said as he entered the lab. “She’s one of the vets.” He motioned towards the eggs in the corner of the room and Veronica hurried away to get back to work. 

“Fun.” Owen said with a roll of his eyes. 

“Yeah,” Andrew chuckled, “That one smells fresh meat from a mile away. I think she’s slept with every man on this island. Rumor has it she even slept with some of the women.” 

“Damn.” Owen sighed, shaking his head. He was even more turned off now. 

“Yup. Just tell her you’re married.” 

Owen raised an eyebrow. “But I’m not. I don’t need that rumor spreading through the island.” He especially didn’t want that to get back to Claire. 

“Suite yourself,” Andrew shrugged and turned to examine Blue. He turned slightly to talk over his shoulder. “But if you’re anything but married, she could care less.” 

“Sounds like you’ve been in my position. You tell her you were married?” Owen wondered. 

“Didn’t have to.” Andrew smiled at himself. The one time Claire walked into the lab to meet up with him for lunch, she caught Veronica practically in Andrew’s lap. Claire had basically dragged the woman by her hair all the way up to her office before sending her off for a two week suspension from the entire island. Andrew had convinced her not to fire her due to the fact that she was a great doctor and it would be impossible to find someone as experienced as she was. After Veronica’s suspension she made it a top priority to treat Andrew as her supervisor and was completely hands off. 

Owen raised an eyebrow, urging Andrew to continue on. 

“Another time.” Andrew promised. He respected Claire enough to ever talk about her, their relationship, or breakup to anyone, especially during work hours. 

“That good, eh?” Owen leaned back, folding his arms against his chest. 

Andrew just laughed and shook his head, continuing his exam. 

“Dr. Carter, Egg A is making progress.” Veronica announced as she walked back into the room. 

She turned her attention to Owen, reaching out to tug on his arm. “Come on, Daddy, come see.” 

Owen frowned, doing his best to not gag on the way she used the word Daddy, but he allowed her to pull him along, glancing back at Andrew when he heard him laughing. “Hey,” Andrew shrugged, holding his arms out, palms towards the ceiling. “I warned you.” 

Owen threw his free hand over his head, giving Andrew his middle finger, causing Andrew to burst into laughter. 

Veronica tugged Owen along, her fingers gripping tighter when Owen tried to break free. “I know where the eggs are.” Owen reminded her. He glanced over his shoulder hoping Andrew followed them. “What about Andrew?” He asked when he realized they were alone.

“Dr. Carter will be here as soon as he’s done examining Blue. Then a few of the Triceratops eggs hatched, so he’s going to check on them.” Veronica paused, dropping Owen’s wrist and wrapped her arms around his biceps, “Don’t worry, Owen. You’re in good hands.” 

“Look, Dr. Roman…” Owen started, but someone behind them cleared their throat. 

Veronica immediately stepped away from Owen and turned to face Claire. She swallowed hard when she caught the deep scowl set on Claire’s face. “Ms. Dearing. I’m assigned to the raptor eggs.” She turned with a shaky finger, pointing at the egg moving slightly, a small chip falling off. “She’s hatching.” 

“Yeah,” Claire said dryly. “I got the message. Hence the reason why I’m here.” Her gaze drifted to Owen who looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Did I interrupt something?” 

“No!” Owen said quickly. “Nope! No way.” He reached up, scratching the back of his head as he turned away from both women. Where did his confidence go? Why was he so nervous? He did nothing wrong. He always had a good comeback for everything, but suddenly his palms were sweaty and his heart racing. The last thing he would want to do is to give Claire the assumption that he was interested in someone else. 

Claire bit back a laugh. She stood back watching Owen flinch away from Veronica whenever she brushed up against him. She fought the urge to lunge across the room and knock Veronica to the ground. But Owen wasn’t hers to fight for. By the way he was brushing her off had her panic calmed down. Claire knew Veronica’s reputation, but she didn’t feel threatened by her. Not with Owen clearly annoyed by her presence. 

The hatching of Egg A was rather quick. Though for Owen it seemed to last a lifetime. Veronica was finally getting the hint, or she was just tired of Owen inching his way around the incubator to get away from her when she’d get too close. She moved to concentrate on the new hatchling, finally staying in one spot.

“There you go, Daddy, she’s here.” Veronica cooed. “She’s beautiful and very healthy.” 

Owen ignored Claire’s snicker behind them and took the new baby into his hands. 

“So?” Veronica asked, reaching out and rubbing his biceps. “What’s her name?” 

“Charlie.” Owen stated, holding her up to examine her closer. 

“Charlie?” Veronica repeated. “She’s a girl, silly.” 

Owen peered over at her. “I know,” he snapped. “Military Alphabet. Her name is Charlie.” 

“If you say so.” Veronica said as she wrote the name down on the chart. 

“Hows it going?” Andrew asked as he walked into the room. His eyes landed on Claire first. She was completely amused, leaning against a desk in the back of the room, her arms folded against her chest. 

“So far just the one hatchling.” Claire answered and motioned towards Owen and Veronica. “Owen’s being entertained.” 

Andrew gave a hollow laugh and winked at her before turning his attention to the new baby. “Vitals?” Andrew asked stepped between Owen and Veronica. 

Thankful for the move, Owen patted Andrew on the back. 

Veronica immediately stepped away from Andrew, her gaze darting back towards Claire. A motion that Owen caught. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked from Claire to Andrew. No. He shook his head dismissing the thoughts that popped into his head. 

Another half hour later and two more raptors were born, Veronica filling in the charts for Delta and Echo. Nibbling on her pen as the small group waited for the birth of the other egg, she stepped around Andrew to slip in beside Owen. “So, why the military alphabet?” 

“I was in the Navy.” Owen replied with a shrug. He was too involved in the three raptors in front of him to look up at her. 

“Ooh,” Veronica said, reaching out and squeezing his arm. “That’s where the manly look comes from. I love a man in uniform. Especially Military.” 

Owen stood up straight and turned to look at Veronica with a loud huff. “What about the other egg. It hasn’t even made a crack yet.” 

“Relax, Da—” Veronica started, but Owen was quick to cut her off, shoving his palm in her face to silence her. 

“Don’t!” He yelled, shuddering at the nickname she’d been using. “It’s Owen, Mr. Grady, or hell, I’d even answer to Hey You, but do _not_ call me _Daddy_ again. Say it one more time and I will get you for sexual harassment.” He scrubbed his hand down his face roughly with a hard shake of his head. He’d never thought he’d see the day where he would threaten a woman for sexual harassment. She was very attractive, but she wasn’t what he wanted. His whole world currently gravitated towards the red head in the back of the room. 

Claire bit her bottom lip to keep from opening her mouth. She gripped the desk she was leaning against to stop herself from throwing herself at Owen. The one day she caught Veronica desperately trying to hit on Andrew, he did little to nothing to stop her. Owen, on the other hand, basically threatened to sick Claire on her if she didn’t leave him alone. Apparently that was a huge turn on for her and she was having a hard time controlling her emotions. 

Veronica looked back at Claire who just shrugged in response. She looked back at Owen and nodded silently, turning her attention on the last egg. 

With Veronica occupied, Owen glanced back at Claire with a quick wink. She winked back, smiling wide. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she groaned, sad to have to break her eye contact with Owen. “Excuse me.” She said softly and stepped out of the room. 

As soon as she finished her phone call, Andrew was by her side. An amused smile spread across his face. “What?” Claire wondered. 

“Good to see you still scare the shit out of her.” 

Claire shrugged, putting her phone back in her pocket. “She’s a dirty slut and I still wish you would let me fire her.” 

“Now, now.” Andrew clicked his tongue as he wagged his finger at her. “Play nice. She’s a good doctor.” 

“Yeah,” Claire snorted with a roll of her eyes. “And good at playing doctor.” 

“Hey,” Andrew held his hands up innocently. “I wouldn’t know.” 

Claire laughed and it cut off into a groan when her phone buzzed again. “I have to head up to control. Call me with an update on the last egg.” 

“I will.” Andrew called after her as she hurried away. 

Owen noticed Claire didn’t return with Andrew. “Everything ok?” Owen asked, his focus on the door over Andrew’s shoulder. 

“Claire?” Andrew wondered, turning to look over his shoulder where Owen was looking. “She was called to the control room.” 

Both men didn’t miss the loud sigh of relief Veronica let out. 

Owen shook his head in disbelief. He’d never seen anyone so intimidated by someone else before. He now held a whole other level of respect for Claire. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to those that have been reading and leaving kudos! I love reading responses to my chapters, so please leave a quick review and let me know what you think! Reviews keep me motivated to keep writing and I love reading your reactions to some moments in the chapters.

Walking along Main Street Claire breathed in the damp air, thankful to finally be finished with work. It was late and the park was closed for guests, but some of the bars always remained open for employees with the park’s Main Street being the only source of entertainment on the island. 

Claire walked along the quiet street, most employees already settled in the bars to unwind from the days work. A drink sounded great to Claire, exhausted from dealing with the Packys escaping from their zone once again and having to handle the cleanup. 

Already being annoyed because she was called away from the lab, leaving Veronica alone with Owen. She couldn’t help but wonder if he would fall for her tricks. She was annoyingly beautiful and she definitely knew how to handle her men. Standing in the control room, trying to bark out orders to ACU out on the field, Claire’s mind kept pulling her back to the lab. Visions of Veronica and Owen flashing in Claire’s mind had her stumbling over her words, unable to keep her focus. The drink she was after was definitely needed. 

She nibbled on her bottom lip as her finger hesitated over Owen’s name as she walked. Would asking him if he wanted to meet up for a drink be crossing the line? She really liked the way they were heading and didn’t want to seem like she was moving too fast. But she also didn’t want to lose him to Veronica, or any other woman on the island. 

Reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, she shook her head annoyed at herself. She couldn’t remember being this hesitant when her and Andrew first started talking. Things just happened with them. Why couldn’t it be that easy with Owen? Why did he make her so nervous? _Damn it_. She thought and shoved her phone in her pocket. The fear of starting something she wasn’t quite sure how to finish kept her from taking the leap she desperately wanted. 

Claire froze in place, her eyes landing on a small table on the patio of the bar she was just about to enter. Owen sat, a beer in his hand, laughing with Andrew, Barry, Cassandra and Naomi. Both women were narrators for the Mosasaurus show and were always using that to their advantage. They were the only two women on the island who have ever stood on a platform, hovering over the open waters where the Mosasaurus lurked below. 

Her eyes landed on Cassandra who had moved her chair very close to Owen’s and leaning over to touch him every chance she got. The only thing keeping her calm was the unconscious moves Owen was making. He shifted away nonchalantly, dodging most of Cassandra’s attempted thigh touches. He barely made eye contact with her, clearly caught up in a conversation with Barry and Andrew. Their gazes constantly moving to the screens around them watching the sports games on each TV. 

She stood back, watching as Cassandra continued to do her best to flirt with Owen. She even went as far as asking questions about the football came on one of the TVs. Unable to suppress her eye roll, Claire knew it was a desperate attempt to get his attention. Owen had taken a rather large swag of his beer and tried getting Andrew or Barry to answer her questions. When neither were going to help him our, Owen just gestured back to the TV, instruction the blond to, “Just watch.” 

Deciding to slip out before any of them spotted her— she wasn’t about to be invited to have drinks with her ex and the guy she was currently interested in. That was a disaster waiting to happen. Claire turned towards the walkway that would lead her home. It was late anyway. 

XXX

Owen let out a loud yawn and slumped back against the bench just outside the main entrance for the resort. Blinking a few times, he forced his eyes to focus on his watch. It was just after 5am and Claire was running late for her morning run. He let his head fall back, resting on the back of the bench, kicking himself for getting up so early. 

Owen was just forming a plan to get up to Claire’s floor and drag her out of bed since she was the only reason why he forced himself to get up. He wanted a repeat of yesterday morning, and if it meant getting some one on one time with Claire, he’s get up at 5am every morning. 

The large glass doors to the resort slid open and Owen sat up straight. He spotted Claire walk slowly out of the door with a yawn. As she was hooking up her headphones, Owen stood up and moved towards her. 

She looked up at him approaching her and greeted him with a weak smile. 

Owen paused, his face falling serious. “Everything ok?” 

“Huh?” Claire asked, another yawn escaping. “Sorry, just had a late night last night” 

“Work or recreational?” The words came out before he could stop himself. 

“Work,” She groaned, unable to even attempt to come up with some sort of comeback for the other part of his question. She quickly wondered if his night ended with work back at the lab or recreationally. She shuddered at the thought. 

“You do know you could have slept in.” Owen pointed out. 

“I’m dedicated. I can’t help it.” She said it as a joke, but it was very true. Claire has only missed her morning runs once or twice before. Her whole day felt off if she didn’t follow her normal routine. 

“Bet I could get you to sleep in.” Owen said with a wink. 

Claire gave a light hearted laugh. He was flirting. That’s a good sign. “You’ve got a lot to learn about me if you think it’d be that easy.” She threw him her best smile and turned to start walking her normal trail, still too tired to start off running. 

Owen was quick to fall in step beside her. “Easy?” Owen repeated. “Who said anything about easy? If I wanted easy I would have Veronica in my bed right now, but that’s not what I want.” 

Claire’s cheeks flushed red and she was thankful they were walking away from the bright lights of the resort. “Oh, yeah?” Claire tried her best to keep her voice steady. “What do you want, Owen?” Her eyes widened for a moment before she composed herself. Did she really just ask that? 

Owen was silent for a moment as they walked along the trail. “You.” He simply stated, happy he had enough courage to say the word and made it sound confident. He didn’t miss the falter in Claire’s step. Sneaking a peek at her out of the corner of his eye, her face was serious, her gaze focused on something in front of them as they walked. 

“I have a reputation to protect, you know.” Claire said quietly. 

“I respect that.” Owen responded. 

Claire turned her head to look him in the eyes as she spoke, letting him see the seriousness in her face. “I don’t sleep around.” 

Owen shrugged. “I’m not asking you to.” 

“Good.” Claire did her best to keep the upper hand of the conversation. 

“Good.” Owen repeated. 

Claire turned, narrowing her eyes at him. “What about you?” She wondered, turning the conversation away from her. 

“What about me?” 

Claire wanted to let out a frustrated scream. Was he really that dumb that he had to ask that? She stopped walking, folding her arms against her chest as she glared at Owen. “Oh come on, Owen. I know your type. Play the hunky, rugged man who can smile and get any woman he wants in bed.” She motioned towards his motorcycle back in the parking lot. “Bet you’ve had more women bent over that bike than female workers on this island.” Holding her hand up to stop Owen from interrupting, she stepped closer to him so they were toe to toe and lowered her voice. “I’m not a number, Mr. Grady.” 

“Are you finished?” Owen asked, clearly amused. 

With her lips in a tight line, Claire nodded. The small smirk playing at the corner of his lips made her blood boil. 

“I’m not looking to just get in your pants, Claire. I enjoy this.” His hands motioned around them. “I like spending time with you.” 

Claire’s eyes widened for a second before she composed herself. No one has ever said that to her before. She couldn’t even remember ever hearing those words come from Andrew. Her mind immediately sought out anything to throw back at him. Anything that would let her know he was telling the truth. “What about Cassandra?” Claire asked, her hands tight on her hips. 

“Who?” It took Owen a few seconds to understand why Claire was talking the way she was. “Oh…” He trailed off when he finally realized she had to have seen him last night. “You mean at the bar last night? The raptors were all sleeping, so Barry and I were going to grab something to eat and there was football game on I wanted to watch. I saw Zara running papers down to Dr. Wu and asked her if you were free to come with us. She said you were caught up in the control room and it would be a while.” Owen shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his left hand coming up to rub at the stubble on his chin— a nervous habit, Claire realized. “Then we ran into Andrew and he joined us. Those women came out of nowhere. None of us invited them. Cassandra had asked me to go out for drinks tomorrow night, but I declined.” He paused to take a breath, realizing how fast he was talking. He sighed heavily, reaching out slowly to touch Claire’s arm. “I’m sorry if you got the wrong impression.” 

Claire shook her head and smiled. “New meat around here gets everyone riled up. Guess that’s what you get for working on a secluded island. Slim pickings until someone new comes along.”

“Yeah,” Owen scoffed. “I’m beginning to realize that.” 

“What about you?” Owen wondered. “If you saw me last night at the bar why didn’t you just join us? Bet you would have made those women run away.” He tapped his chin as he thought about his words. “Actually, that would have made my night.” He smiled to himself as he pictured Claire chasing them away, claiming him for herself. He would have been more than happy to help her win that fight. He pictured himself pulling her into his arms and kissing her like he knew she had never been kissed before. Glancing down at her lips, he fought the urge to lick his own, desperately wanting to know what her felt like against his. 

“So,” Claire sighed heavily, ignoring his question and reached both her arms up to stretch. “Ready to run?” 

Owen shook his head, pulling himself out of his daydream. “Really?” He couldn’t help the wine that escaped. “But I like this pace right here.” He said, motioning down to the feet, walking slowly along the path. 

“Ok.” Claire shrugged, turning to jog away. 

“And you didn’t answer my question!” He called after her, huffing when she kept running. “Damn, woman,” Owen mumbled under his breath. “You ever going to let me catch you?” He watched as she moved along the trail and waited, but she never looked back. Shaking his head with a smile he ran to catch up with her. 

Claire kept her eyes forward, but smiled when she felt Owen keep pace beside her. She had to admit that she liked the attention Owen was giving her. The fact that he’s had two women— that she knew of— who were basically throwing themselves at Owen, but he declined. It was her he was after, but she still couldn’t bring herself to make the first move. She was still hesitant on allowing someone else in. Her main fear was screwing something up the way she did with Andrew. 

Her work was everything to her, but Owen was different. She found herself thinking about him almost constantly. The butterflies in her stomach when she was called down to the lab for something, knowing he would be down there. Not to mention the fact that he got up this morning to run with her. But the fear of getting too close to him and he realizing she’s just not his type. Or was he sweet talking her just to boast that he nailed the boss. He would hold the triumphant title of being the only new guy to have his way with her. Part of her wanted to say fuck it and actually give him something to boast about, but she pushed those thoughts aside. Chalking it up to the fact that she hasn’t had sex in almost a year. If this was going to turn into anything, she had to work hard to make it work. 

“Hey, wait.” Owen reached out, tugging on Claire’s arm as he slowed them to a walk. 

She turned to face him and looked around briefly to see why he made her stop running. “What?” She asked, when she couldn’t figure it out. 

“Listen.” He said softly, pointing out over the lagoon with his free hand, the other still wrapped around Claire’s wrist. 

She was so used to the sounds of the dinosaurs that they just blended in to the background now, but watching Owen stare out over the lagoon, a soft smile spread across his face as he listened. “They are singing.” He whispered. 

“Yeah,” Claire sighed, her eyes still locked on Owen’s face. He was really enjoying the sounds of the Brachiosaurus in the distance. She turned her focus on the sun rising over the mountains and listened, for what seems like the first time, to the most beautiful song echoing across the open space. The conversation they just had completely forgotten as she got lost in his reaction to the morning sounds of the island.

Owen snuck a peek at Claire out of the corner of his eye and smiled. The way the pink sunrise reflected off her face made her even more beautiful— If that was even possible. 

Feeling his eyes on her, Claire kept her gaze locked on the lagoon, but she twisted her hand until Owen loosened his grip. He was about to pull away, but Claire slipped her hand into his, lacing their fingers together. They walked along the trail, but Owen made a last second turn, pulling Claire along. 

“Owen this isn’t—” Claire started, but cut off when she noticed he was heading right for a bench facing the lagoon. There they had a perfect view of the rising sun and a little background music to set the mood. 

Owen was happy that Claire didn’t say anything when he tugged her arm to sit beside him. She didn’t hesitate to scoot close beside him, their outer thighs touching. “You know,” Owen said, resting their joined hands on his lap. “I think this is my favorite time of day.” 

Claire spared a glance in his direction, smiling when his eyes met hers. “Mine, too.” She agreed and leaned in closer to him. He let go of her hand to reach his arm along the back of the bench behind her. Feeling completely comfortable and at ease, Claire kept her hand on his thigh where he abandoned it to lay it behind her. 

At this moment, Claire began to see the entire world different. Sitting with Owen, both of them relaxed as they watched the sun rise and listen to the Brachiosaurus morning songs, it brought tears to her eyes as she couldn’t remember a single moment in her life when she felt this way. Right now her world was blissful. It felt so incomparable to anything else she ever experienced that it scared the hell out of her. The last time she thought everything was going perfectly fine, she came home to an empty apartment. She was abandoned and she didn’t even know why.

Claire glanced down at her hand resting comfortably on Owen’s thigh. It looked natural there. It _felt_ natural to have it there. But she couldn’t help her mind drifting back to the complete and utter surprise of Andrew’s things gone. Apparently she was worse than she thought at reading people. Even the man she was dating for two years. 

Suddenly Claire’s mind began to spiral out of control. Did Owen let go of her hand because it was too intimate? She leaned back, concentrating on the fact that his arm across the back of the bench wasn’t even touching her. She removed her hand from his thigh and folded her hands tight on her lap. Fighting the urge to sneak a peak at his reaction and waiting for any kind of response from Owen, Claire thought her head was going to explode. When he didn’t make any move to reach back for her hand, she sighed heavily and stood up. 

“Where are you going?” Owen asked, leaning forward on the bench. He wanted to reach for her, but the look on her face had him second guessing himself. 

“Jog back up to the resort. I have to get ready for work.” 

Owen double checked his watched and narrowed his eyes. “But you still have…” He trailed off as he glanced up at her, but she was already on the move. He sat for a moment, scrubbing his hand across his unkept stubble on his chin as he watched her run. Was she running from him? Did he move too fast? 

Standing up and scratching the back of his head, Owen began to walk back towards the resort. He ran through the last twenty minutes in his head and couldn’t figure out where he went wrong. He thought he was making his actions clear. 

XXX

Owen walked into the lab, his mind still whirling over his morning with Claire. He seemed to be running on autopilot, using all his energy to try and figure her out. Normally he wouldn’t waste so much time trying to chase after someone he was interested in, but whether she knew it or not, Claire already had a tight hold on him. It wasn’t something he quite understood himself, but he wasn’t trying to fight it. He didn’t want to fight it. 

“Ok,” Andrew sighed heavily, pulling up a chair to sit beside Owen, who was patting each raptor as they squeaked at him. “What’s on your mind? I’ve walked in and out of here ten times this morning and you have been sitting in the same position. Veronica held an entire conversation with you and you barely blinked.” He shook his head with a soft chuckle. “I mean, come on, you have someone like her bending over in front of you like that,” He shook his head with a huff, “Any human man would not be able to check out the cleavage.” 

“Huh?” Owen blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes to focus on Andrew. “Oh,” he shook his head, trying to clear his mind. “Sorry, long morning.” 

Andrew sat back as he watched Owen closely. He didn’t even acknowledge what he said about Veronica. “Did you take Cassandra home?” Andrew asked, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “You guys left around the same time.” 

“What?” Owen asked, his eyes wide. “No. Definitely went home alone.” 

“Sorry,” Andrew said quickly, catching the offense Owen took to his question. “Touchy subject?” 

Owen sighed heavily, reaching for Delta and cradled her as he leaned back in his chair. “If the subject is women, then yes.” 

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Oh, been there, man.” 

Owen noticed Andrew’s gaze drifted off, obviously thinking of something or someone. He immediately thought back to when he caught the little interaction between Veronica, Claire and Andrew. “Oh yeah?” Owen asked, internally cringing at the conversation he is about to initiate, but he needed to know. “Who was she?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keep those reviews coming!!

_“Who was she?”_ Owen’s question echoed loudly in Andrew’s head. He never spoke to anyone about his relationship with Claire. Well, no one on the island. His brother on the other hand has gotten more than an earful. But Andrew has never opened up to a friend and coworker. Taking a deep breath, he peered around the room, making sure they were alone. “Claire.” Andrew said softly. It’s not like their relationship was a secret, but it was very important to her that their work relationship and private one stayed completely separate. She’d go up one side of him and down the other if someone overheard him and it got back to her. 

Owen practically felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. He quickly placed Delta back down with her sisters, feeling the need to have his hands free and curled his fingers into tight fists. He was friends with her ex? Now he understood her constant hesitation when Andrew was around. 

“You dated Claire?” Owen choked out, doing his best to keep his voice sounding normal. 

Andrew nodded. “Yeah, we both kind of fucked things up.” He explained, unaware of Owen’s reaction. 

Owen was dying to ask a million question, but they all revolved around Claire. Though there was only one question he needed to know. “What happened?” 

“She loves her job and I watched her fall in love with it.” Andrew gave a hollow laugh, “It was almost like watching her fall in love with another man right in front of me. In the end she chose work.” Andrew shrugged, his features relaxed. Owen couldn’t find any hint of regret for letting her go. 

Owen folded his arms against his chest as he listened to Andrew. He knew there were two sides to every story, but the way Claire has been tiptoeing around any type of relationship with him, had him convinced there was more to her side of the story. He was almost angry at Andrew for causing Claire to be so hesitant. He wanted to ask more questions. He wanted to know more, but it was for the sake of Claire’s heart, not Andrew. The urge to suddenly protect Claire from him was very evident in his mind. 

“I’ve only seen her in action for a week and I can’t say you’re wrong, she puts in long hours.” Owen agreed with Andrew’s statement. It was obvious she loved her job, but what Owen couldn’t understand was why it was such a big deal for him. Sure Claire worked a lot, he has been witness to that, but him and Claire aren’t even dating and he’s spent enough time with her to warrant a strong and healthy relationship. 

Andrew nodded. “Yeah she does,” he agreed, pulling Owen from his thoughts. 

Owen watched Andrew look down at his left hand. “I had plans to marry her, you know.” Andrew said quietly. 

Owen’s heart jumped into his throat. He couldn’t imagine stepping foot on this island and accepting that Claire was a married woman. She didn’t belong with Andrew. He wasn’t good for her. “Wow,” Owen sighed, leaning forward and reaching for Blue. “That really sucks, man, sorry to hear.” 

“I thought she would fight for us.” Andrew shook his head, settling in for a deep conversation with Owen. He suddenly regretted even trying to get Andrew to talk about Claire in the first place. Owen stayed quiet, unsure how to even respond to that. He was happy she didn’t. He preferred her just the way she was— single and available for Owen to sweep her off her feet. “I thought she would come find me.” Andrew continued, unaware of Owen’s thoughts. 

Confused as to where this conversation is going, Owen tilted his head, “What do you mean?” 

“I moved out when she was on a business trip. I even had some of my things packed before she left. I had started sleeping on the couch a few days before she left and she never even questioned it.” Andrew shook his head, still clearly upset over her actions, or lack thereof. 

Owen placed Blue down, again, feeling the need to have his hands in fists. “So you tested her? You didn’t even bother trying to talk to her? How was she supposed to know?” The questions spilled out, but he was able to hold back the most important one. He desperately wanted to knock him over the head and ask if he was insane. There would be no way he would leave Claire to sleep alone. He could barely imagine allowing her to sleep clothed, let alone choose to sleep on the couch, away from her. 

“I had to test her.” Andrew shrugged. “The only test in her life she probably failed,” he sighed heavily. “She was so caught up with work that she didn’t even notice my own bag sitting by the door when she was leaving.” 

Owen scoffed as he shook his head. “Naw, man, I’m pretty sure she passed that test. You lost her. She didn’t lose you. Was she in the middle of something big at work? She’s the operations manager for fucks sake. A time where you could be supportive, you let your damn ego ruin your relationship.” He sat back, his head still shaking as he tried to make sense of it all. Closing his lips in a tight line, Owen held back everything else he wanted to say. The need to stand up for Claire was strong. If she wasn’t there to defend herself, he’s do it for her. 

Andrew leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as Owen’s words struck a nerve. “I watched that woman climb her way up that corporate ladder. I have been nothing but supportive. She changed when she settled into this position. She changed a lot.” 

It was hard for Owen to imagine her any different. She was beautiful, successful, hardworking and a very strong-willed woman. She definitely knew how to flirt and he couldn’t help but love hearing her laugh. Owen couldn’t see any flaws in her supposed new personality. “I’m sorry, Andrew, you lost something good and that’s all on you. I’m sure she probably changed a little, but look at everything she’s responsible for now. You really should have cut her some slack. You just pissed because your woman suddenly outranked you in the payroll bracket?” Owen paused when he noticed Andrew look down at his hands. Bingo. 

“Yeah, I know. Trust me. I regret it. I regret it all…” Andrew trailed off, glancing up at the ceiling where Claire was just a few floors above them. 

Owen sat silently, realizing he had made Andrew understand just how wrong he was in letting her go. “Yeah, well,” he said quickly. “Can’t change the past.” 

“No,” Andrew agreed. “But I can try and fix it.” 

Owen opened his mouth to try and convince him that, no he didn’t need to try and fix anything with Claire, but Andrew’s pager went off. 

“Excuse me,” Andrew said as he stood up. “I’m needed back at the clinic.” He paused before walking away, turning back towards Owen. “Please don’t repeat any of this. If it get’s back to her…” Andrew tailed off at the wave of Owen’s hand. 

“Your secret is safe with me.” He promised and turned his attention back to his raptors. 

Owen dove back into his reverie, allowing his mind to drift off once more. This time, though, his thoughts were on whether or not Claire would want him or go back to Andrew if given the choice. No, Owen shook his head at his internal answer. She couldn’t still want Andrew. Flirting is there between him and Claire. At times it’s a little hesitant on her end, but now he could understand why. She was protecting her own heart. A heart he couldn’t even imagine hurting. 

Sitting back, Owen reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He found Claire’s name and typed out a text. **What are you doing?**

It took a minute before Owen saw the three small dots pop up indicating she was answering him. **Going through some files. Boring…** She answered, adding a sleeping emoji at the end of her text. 

Owen smiled, immediately sending her another message. **Take a break and come play.** He immediately blushed after realizing she was probably going to take that the wrong way. His heart pounding in his chest when she didn’t answer right away. Those three little dots appearing and then disappearing on the bottom of the message for what seemed like forever. He started to write out a message explaining that he meant with the raptors, but her response came in before he could send it. 

**Don’t tempt me.**

Owen stared wide eyed at her response. So she held more confidence behind her phone than she did in person. He could go along with that. **Meet me for lunch.**

 **I’ll be taking a late lunch today.**

**It’s ok. I’ll wait.**

**I’ll be down at two.**

**If you’re not down here by two I’m coming up there and dragging your ass out of your office.**

It took a moment for Claire to answer and he hoped her attention was pulled from their conversation and not that he offended her. The vibration on his phone in his hand a few minutes later made him jump. He sat, eyes gaping at the phone. **My ass will be ready.** He desperately wanted to hear those words come out of her mouth. He wanted her to have that confidence to flirt with him in person. 

There was a knock on Claire’s door, pulling out a startled yelp from her as her phone dropped to the floor. “Come in!” She called out, leaning down to grab her phone. 

“Lost that thing again?” Andrew asked gesturing towards her phone as she stood up. He shut the door behind him. 

Claire let out an unsteady laugh, “Slippery little sucker.” 

They fell silent for a moment as Andrew studied Claire. After his conversation with Owen, Andrew could actually see Claire in a different light now. He no longer blamed her for choosing work over him. He understood she has a lot on her plate. Her features changed in the last year, or she just looked even more beautiful to him, he couldn’t tell. The smile on her face and the light flush to her cheeks had her green eyes sparkling. 

He could only see from her hips up from her position behind her desk, but her shirt was tight fitted and low cut. It took him a few seconds, but he realized why he loved the shirt so much. “Hey,” he pointed out, moving to stand right in front of her desk, reaching out and poking her ribs. “I bought you that when we were on the mainlands Christmas shopping last year.” 

“Huh?” Claire looked down, realizing he was right. She hadn’t thought of that when she picked it out to wear. She actually wore it because she was meeting Dr. Wu in the lab for a meeting and knew she’d run into Owen. “Oh, yeah.” she agreed, unsure of what else to say. 

“Still looks hot on you.” He winked, allowing his eyes to travel. 

Claire gave an embarrassed laugh, reaching for her blazer behind her chair and put it on. “Did you just come up here to tell me that… or…” She trailed off, unsure if she actually wanted to know the answer. 

“Unfortunately not.” Andrew said as he moved around Claire’s desk, lifting a leg to partially sit just off to the side of Claire, which was his usual spot when he came to see her when they were dating. She instinctively slid her chair away. “I sent you an email regarding shutting down the Allosaurus exhibit for the day tomorrow.” He explained. 

“Wait,” Claire slid back towards Andrew to check her computer. “I didn’t read the email, but why would you want to shut it down for a day?” She asked, opening up the email and trying to skim over it. 

“She hasn’t been acting right the last few days and I want to do a thorough exam.” 

“And you feel that you need an entire day to do that?” 

Andrew took a deep breath, trying to remember what Owen told him earlier. He needs to show her he supported her and that he understands her choices when it comes to the park. “Well she’s going to be out of it for a while. We have to bring in more equipment depending on if I find something or not.” 

Claire drummed her fingers across her keyboard as she checked the animal’s showing schedule for the next day. “Do an overnight exam. I will close the attraction an hour before closing tonight so you can prepare.” 

“Overnight?” Andrew repeated. “After working all day, you want me to work on her overnight?” 

“What’s the matter?” Claire teased, leaning back in her chair, smiling up at him. “Sad you won’t get enough beauty sleep? I’ve pulled plenty of overnights.” 

“Hey,” Andrew smiled, immediately honing in on her joking mood. “I’ve had my share of overnights as well. I just hate doing exams and any type of procedures under those damn floodlights.” 

Claire reached out and patted his knee. “It’s either tonight or tomorrow night you do it, and if I’m not mistaken we’re going to be getting some storms tomorrow night.” 

“Fine,” Andrew sighed heavily. “You win.” 

“I know,” Claire said with a wink. “I always do.” 

It took everything in him to not lean down and kiss her. Her lighthearted attitude is what he missed the most about her. 

Claire’s phone buzzed and she glanced down at the incoming text, a flush of pink flashing in her cheeks. Andrew wondered if she was thinking the same thing he was. He felt warm inside hoping the flush in her cheeks were caused by the same visions he had. She had sent a quick text to someone and looked back up at him. “I’m sorry, but I’m on a tight schedule and am trying to be on time for lunch today.” 

“Sure, sure.” Andrew stood up, hesitating besides Claire. “Come to my office and we will go grab some sushi.” He said, reaching out and tucking her hair behind her ear. 

Claire slid her chair away, standing up to walk towards her door, opening it for Andrew. “I have lunch plans already, sorry.” She apologized again and motioned towards the open door. “I have to head over to control now, so…” 

“Yeah, ok. I’ll see you later.” He smiled and squeezed her arm lightly on his way out the door. 

XXX

Claire drummed her fingertips on her desk impatiently waiting for the conference call to end. She glanced at her clock and groaned loudly, thankful she had the call on mute as she listened to Mr. Masrani talking. She should have met Owen two minutes ago. Huffing, Claire tuned back in to the call. 

It was a few minutes later when Claire’s phone buzzed. She was in the middle of speaking to Mr. Masrani, but she couldn’t help but grab at her phone the moment it went off. She finished what she was saying, placing the call on mute again and quickly checked her messages, gasping at what Owen sent. You’re late. That ass is mine. 

_“Claire?”_ Mr. Masrani’s voice caused Claire to jump. 

“I’m sorry, I’m here.” She said quickly. 

_“Ok, so you will be ready for the investors coming on Friday?”_

Flipping through her calendar, Claire quickly filled it in. “I have it all ready to go. I will put the presentation together and get back to you.” 

Just as Mr. Masrani was wrapping up the call, there was a light knock on the door. Claire’s heart jumped to her throat. Owen was staying true to his word. 

Before the call ended, Owen burst through the door, silently stalking towards Claire. Her eyes locked with his as he crept his way across her office. She swallowed hard when he moved around her desk and slowly reached out to grab onto her chair, slowly turning her towards him. He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head when he heard some of the other managers asking last minute questions. He held Claire’s gaze until there was a dial tone echoing loud in her ears. Owen reached out and hung up the phone, bringing his hand down to grab hers and pulled her to her feet. “Did you think I was bluffing?” 

“No.” Claire answered quickly, allowing Owen to lead her towards her door. “But I would have been downstairs. Mr. Masrani like’s to talk.” 

“Well, you’re mine for the next hour.” He said, tugging on her arm and pulling her into his side. He slipped his arm around her waist, leading her towards the elevator. 

The moment Owen’s arm slipped around Claire, everyone else in the office disappeared. Claire saw no one but him. She didn’t care who they passed. The only thing that mattered to her was the arm holding her tight to Owen’s side. With most of the employees on her floor, including Zara, out to lunch, she held back the urge to explain to him her rule about PDA at work. 

They settled on a small sandwich stand for lunch, Owen relaxed at the table, kicking his feet up on the chair beside him. Claire picked at her fruit salad, snickering when Owen immediately went for the bag of chips he got. 

Owen brought the first chip to his mouth and hesitated, looking over at Claire. “What?” He asked, popping the chip in his mouth. 

“Don’t you know the rules? You always save the best for last.” She informed him, taking a bite of her watermelon. 

Owen rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward towards Claire. With a wink he replied, “Oh, don’t worry I am.” He laughed as Claire’s eyes dropped to her tray in front of her and her cheeks flushed a dark red. 

“What’s the matter, Claire? Lose that flirting confidence? Want me to text you instead?” 

Her eyes shot up to meet his, her mouth falling open in shock. “You’re an ass.” She laughed and chucked one of her grapes at him. 

Owen dodged it, laughing along with her. “So I see we’re back to the ass talking again.” 

“You started it.” Claire argued. 

Owen nodded. “And I’m happy I did.” 

Claire gave Owen a smile that would have knocked him to his knees if he was standing. “So am I.” She agreed. 

“Any big plans tonight?” Owen wondered as he reached for his sandwich. 

Claire shook her head as she chewed, taking a sip of her water before she spoke. “Nothing tonight. I have a presentation on Friday. That was what my conference call was about,” she informed him, gesturing back towards the innovations center. “We’re introducing a new asset and—”

“Dinosaur?” Owen interrupted and eyebrow arched in question. 

Claire rolled her eyes and groaned. “Yes, a new dinosaur.” She corrected. “Anyway, I have to prepare.” 

“Need some help?” Owen asked, throwing Claire a crooked smile. She shivered unsure if she could tell him no. She didn’t need any distractions right now. 

“Don’t you have 4 Raptors to look after?” 

“Barry has the overnight shift. Their usually in bed around nine.” 

Claire couldn’t help but giggle at the way he said that. “So you have to wait for the babysitter to get home to watch the kids, so you could go out.” 

“Yeah,” Owen laughed. “Something like that.” 

“How’s it going?” Claire wondered, taking the last bite of her sandwich. 

“With the girls?” Owen asked. Off of Claire’s nod he continued. “It’s going great. Blue is standing on her own. Andrew thinks they will be ready to graduate to the nursery by next week.” He sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. “Finally. I’m so tired of just sitting and watching them stumble and flop around the incubator all day. I actually can’t wait until they start interacting more.” 

“And trying to kill you.” Claire added. 

Owen rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help but agree. “Yeah, that too.” 

“Your safety gear should arrive by the end of the week. I can double check the delivery date when I get back to my office.” Claire offered. 

Owen shook his head and waved his hand, “No need to check. I don’t need it quite yet.” 

“Still.” Claire sighed, opening her bag of chips. “I would feel better if I knew you were prepared.” 

With wide eyes, Owen placed his elbows on the table, resting his chin in his hands. “Worried about me?” Owen said with a wink. 

“No— Well, I mean…” Claire stuttered before clearing her throat and starting again. “Of course I worry. I may not be head of your project, but being the operations manager, I worry that all employees working up close and personal with the asse— dinosaurs have the right safety gear.” 

“Well,” Owen reached out, laying his hand over Claire’s. “I appreciate the concern, but you don’t need to worry about me.” 

“Sure,” Claire snorted. “You say that now, but give it a few weeks.” 

“Ok, I’ll make you a deal.” Owen offered, taking Claire’s hand in his. 

Claire raised an eyebrow, feeling a little nervous to learn what the deal was. 

“If I can make it through the next two weeks without any injury from the girls, we go on a date.” 

Claire choked on her chip, clearing her throat a few times. Did he just ask her out? “What happens when you get hurt?” 

“That’s not going to happen.” Owen replied, smiling at the way Claire was nibbling her bottom lip. Her hand tightening around his. He immediately knew she was worried that he wouldn’t hold up his end of the bargain. 

“I’ll put a rush on that safety gear.” Claire informed him with a smile.

“And the truth comes out!” Owen cheered, suddenly aggravated that the table was between them. He would have loved nothing more than to lunge for her and feeling her lips on his. 

Claire’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. She was confident she wanted something to happen with Owen, but her capability to actually hold onto any type of relationship was something she wasn’t good at. Her face fell serious as she looked down at their intertwined hands. “Owen I—” She started, but cut off. 

“Hey,” Owen said softly, squeezing her hand until she looked up at him. “I’m not here to fuck around.” He informed her. He paused a moment watching her reaction. She glanced at him with a shy smile. She was holding back and he knew it. “Two weeks,” he reminded her. “Have dinner with me in two weeks.” 

“If you don’t get malled by one of your raptors.” Claire pointed out. 

Owen smiled and winked at her. “I’ll be fine.” 

“I’m holding you to that.” Claire said with a wink. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to those of you that keep reviewing!! I love reading your reactions to each chapter! Keep them coming!

Claire paced her living room, pen tapping on her chin as she spoke aloud. She was halfway done with her presentation when there was a knock on her door. Glancing quickly at her clock and the growl in her stomach reminded her of the room service she ordered. “Coming!” She called towards the door, quickly pausing at her notebook writing down a quick note so she didn’t lose her train of thought. 

Grabbing the cash tip from the kitchen counter, she hurried towards the door, peeking through the peephole, her breath catching when she saw Owen standing there instead of the delivery guy. 

Claire quickly jumped away from the door, her eyes dropping to the leggings and oversized sweatshirt she was wearing. Nibbling on her bottom lip, she contemplated over having enough time to change before he got suspicious standing out there. Realizing she didn’t have any other option, she tasseled her wavy hair, trying to make it look like she didn’t just get out of the shower and it was air drying. 

The second round of knocks made Claire jump and she stepped forward to unlock the door. “Owen!” She made herself sound surprised— which she still was. “What are you…” Claire trailed off, restarting her sentence “How did you get up here?” She asked, her eyes immediately dropping to the bag of food and bottle of wine in his hands. 

“Ran into Edgar on his way up here. I offered to bring it up.” Owen said with a sly smirk on his face. He glanced down at the tip in Claire’s hands. “That for me?” 

Claire followed his gaze and shook her head, turning to place the money back on the counter. “I don’t tip guys who manipulate the delivery guy so they could sneak up here.” She shifted her weight to her right leg and folded her arms against her chest. “Which reminds me, I need to reevaluate the security in this place.” 

“Eh,” Owen shrugged. “Edgar owed me a favor.” 

“The food runner owes you? You’ve been staying in the resort for a few days! What kind of favor did you help him with?” 

“I set him up with the girl at the front desk.” Owen said, but he was looking over Claire’s shoulder, trying to see into her apartment. 

Claire quickly followed his gaze, glancing behind her and immediately stepped aside, realizing they were still standing in the doorway. “Come in.” She said and reached for her bag of food. She weighed it in her hands briefly, realizing it was heavier than what she ordered. Turning slowly, she caught Owen’s eyes. He flashed her a wide grin as he placed the bottle of wine of the counter beside her. 

“I didn’t order that.” Claire said, pointing to the bottle.

“I figured you were a wine kinda gal.” Owen guessed and immediately started going through her kitchen drawers. Claire watched him with wide eyes until he spun around with a loud, “AH-HA!” He called out, waving the bottle opener in the air. 

Claire fought to hide her smile, her arms folding against her chest once again as she leaned her hip on the counter beside him. “Make yourself at home.” She grumbled as he went to work on opening the wine bottle. “I’m not drinking that.” Claire said when he didn’t answer her. 

Owen’s eyes shot up to hers the pop of the cork the only sound in the room. “Fine, more for me.” He said and took a drink straight from the bottle. 

Claire watched as he opened the bag, pulling out two containers of food. Her hands immediately flying to her hips. “Wait… how did you even know…” She trailed off as her eyes moved from Owen to the bag of food and back. “Did Edgar tell you I ordered from the kitchen? You had this whole thing planned!” 

Owen shrugged, moving to the cabinets, searching out some plates. Claire stepped behind him, reaching around him to shut the cabinet door. “The whole point of me ordering room service was so I didn’t have to do dishes.” 

Turning slowly, Owen raised an eyebrow when Claire didn’t step away as he moved. With her body pressed against his, he desperately wanted to reach out and pull her waist into his. But before he could, she cleared her throat and stepped back. “This is a nice gesture, but I did say I was busy tonight.” Claire said and motioned towards the notebook on the table. 

“Yeah,” Owen agreed and flipped open their food containers, grabbing both and setting them on the table. He sat down, pulling the notebook towards him and skimmed it over. “I’m here to help. Besides, you never actually said no.” He said with a wink and looked back down at her notes. 

Claire stood as she desperately tried to go over their entire lunch conversation. She remembered him asking if she needed help, but then the conversation seemed to change course before she ever answered him. She narrowed her eyes as she sat down and pulled her notebook back towards her. “I’m on to you, Mr. Grady.” 

Owen laughed and took a bite of his food. “Oh, I’ve got plenty more tricks.” He answered and leaned back in his chair. “So you seem to have a lot done. What were you doing when I knocked on the door?” 

“Just practicing.” She answered, finally relaxing, she started eating her dinner. 

By the time they were both finished eating, the tension Claire had was gone. The way Owen seemed so comfortable and relaxed wore off on Claire. He clearly was there to help her. As much as she was internally screaming because they were alone and still clothed, she was happy to see his intensions were true. Their conversation that morning warmed Claire’s heart as she sat and watched him grab the bottle of wine and the notebook before walking into the living room. Was he really just interested in being with her? 

“Why don’t you go over the introduction with me. You seem to have a lot of notes there.” Owen suggested, leaning towards Claire on the couch, holding the notebook between them so they both could look it over together. 

She looked at him with wide eyes. “Like speak to you as if we were a room full of investors?” Claire couldn’t hide the panic in her voice. Normally she thrived in front of an audience, but this was Owen. She hated how nervous he made her. 

“I won’t bite.” Owen winked, reaching out to pat her knee. “Come on,” He pushed her lightly. “Up you go.” 

Claire stood slowly, her notebook clutched in her hands. While Owen kicked his feet up on the coffee table, bringing the bottle of wine to his lips, but before he could take a sip, Claire snatched it from him. He watched with wide eyes as she took a long chug before handing it back to him. Taking a deep breath, she welcomed the confidence that the wine was beginning to give her. 

Owen sat, perfectly content in listening to her speak. Normally any type of meeting he would always drift off, never interested in paying attention. With Claire speaking about the new dinosaur they were currently doing research on, he found himself hanging on every word she spoke. He was happy he was able to give some input and she accepted it fully, both of them working together to make the presentation just right. 

“Ok,” Claire sighed, plopping down on the couch beside Owen, taking the bottle of wine from him once again. “I’m finished. Thanks for you help…” She trailed off, her eyes dropping to the floor. 

Owen immediately caught on that she was holding something back. He watched her take a long sip from the bottle and he reached out to grab it, bring it to his lips before realizing the bottle was empty. His eyes met hers and she burst out laughing. “Sorry!” She said through hysterics. 

“Too bad I only brought one bottle.” He pouted, enjoying seeing her so relaxed and giddy.

She jumped up, hurrying into the kitchen and reappearing with a new bottle, pulling a smirk from Owen. “So you are a wine drinker!” Owen called out as he jumped to his feet and grabbing the bottle from her so he could open it.

They had settled back on the couch, this time Claire had her legs tucked up beside her as she leaned into Owen’s side. A movie now playing on TV, but it was drowned out by their laughter and constant conversation. 

Halfway through the second bottle of wine, Claire took a drink and handed the bottle to Owen before wrapping her arms around his right arm and resting her head on his shoulder. “Thank you.” She said softly. 

“For what?” Owen wondered, wishing he could see her face right now, but not daring to move. Instead, he reached out with the arm she was holding tightly and laid it across her body that was tucked against his side. 

“Tonight. I’ve—” She started but cut off before trying again. “No one…” Trailing off, she took a deep breath. 

Owen had a pretty good idea what she was trying to confess and it had him imagining himself punching Andrew. Turning his head slightly, he pressed his lips to the top of her head and turned to rest his cheek there. 

Claire shifted, hugging his arm tighter. The kiss to the top of her head giving her the confidence she needed. “I’ve never had anyone want to help me like that before. It means a lot.” 

“Really?” Owen asked and he started rubbing her leg softly. He decided to play the innocent card and not throw her into a fit of anger. “No men in your past to drink with and work on your speeches?” 

Claire sat silent for a long moment and Owen was beginning to wonder if she had fallen asleep. He was about to shift her so he could see her face when she spoke up. “I dated.” She said quietly. 

“And he never helped you?” Owen pressed. 

Claire shook her head. “We broke up because of my job— because of me.” 

Part of him wanted to stop her. Owen knew she was opening up because of the wine, but he needed to know her side. Even with the alcohol in her system she seemed to struggle with talking about it, so he figured it was now or never. “Your job? I’m not following.” 

Claire took a deep breath before speaking, “We dated for a year and a half before I landed in this position.” Her voice shifted from pained to a more soft and dreamy tone. “Since I interned here in college I wanted to rise to the top. I wanted to be somebody. Then when i finally did… well…” She shrugged and fell silent again. 

Owen waited a few minutes to see if she would continue on her own, but when she didn’t he spoke softly, squeezing her closer to him. “I’m sorry whatever asshole you dated was too caught up in his own ego than to appreciate the work you do. You’re one of a kind, Claire.” 

“You’re friends with said asshole.” Claire mumbled. 

“I am?” Owen asked, hoping he sounded surprised. 

Claire turned her head into Owen’s shoulder and mumbled into it. “Andrew.” 

Owen turned slightly using his free hand to hook her chin, pulling her face up until her eyes met his. “I’m sorry he hurt you. All men are not the same. I appreciate your hard work. I find your level of authority on the island very attractive, actually.” Owen smiled, allowing his thumb to caress her cheek softly, marveling over how soft her skin was. “Actually, I’m not quite sure if it’s your job title or the clothes you wear that I find most attractive.” He allowed his eyes to travel, his smile growing when her cheeks flushed a deep red and her eyes focused on the TV. “This outfit,” Owen reached out and tugged on her sweatshirt. “I think is my favorite.” 

Claire rolled her eyes. “You’re just saying that.” 

“I don’t lie.” Owen simply stated. 

Claire caught his eyes once more, green eyes burning into his hazel ones. His breathing quickened when she leaned towards him, the smell of wine heavy on her breath snapped him out of his trance. 

He wanted to kiss her. God he wanted to _allow_ her to kiss him, but she’d been drinking. He knew if he didn’t stop it now he would lose control the moment her lips touched his. Would she regret it in the morning when she was sober? The last thing he wanted was for her to think this was his intention all along. Get her drunk so he could get her in bed. 

As she leaned closer, her eyes darkening with need. He knew his next move could hurt her deeply if he didn’t do it right. He reached out to cup her face in his hands and he heard her breath hitch. “The last thing I want to do right now is hurt you.” He decided honesty was the best way to go. “But it’s getting late and we have to be up early for our run.”

Claire nodded, her face still cradled in his hands. His touch felt worm and comforting. She was too focused on his hands and the softness of his eyes to realize she just tried to kiss him, but he stopped it. 

“Get some sleep.” Owen said and turned her face slightly to kiss her cheek. He closed his eyes briefly, marveling in the touch of her skin against his lips. His mind fought with his hands to not turn her face back towards him and crushing his lips against hers. _Not tonight_ he told himself and dropped his hands down to her shoulders. “I’ll see you in the morning.” He said softly and got up, walking towards the door. 

“Hey!” Claire called after him, catching him as he reached for the door. He turned slightly as she stood from the couch. “I won’t forget this.” She said and waved. 

Both Claire and Owen went to bed frustrated. Finally laying in bed, Claire had a chance to go over what happened. She had started to make her move, but Owen stopped her. She hoped she knew the only reason why he did it, but she wanted to hear it from him. 

Owen threw himself into bed, starring at the ceiling before draping his arm across his eyes with a frustrated grunt. He couldn’t get the image out of his mind that if he didn’t stop her from kissing him, they would be rolling around in her bed. He squeezed his eyes shut to try and get the visions out of his head. As aggravated as he was, he knew it was the right choice. There was no way he could live with himself if she woke up the next morning and regretted the night. He needed her to make that decision sober. 

By the time Owen’s alarm went off he groaned, slamming his hand down on the snooze button. He had only fallen asleep a few hours before, so exhaustion hung heavily with him. He closed his eyes, giving himself five more minutes. 

Claire jumped out of bed the moment her alarm went off. She dressed in a tank and yoga pants before rushing around to meet Owen downstairs. She was thankful for no hangover, or the adrenalin surging through her kept it at bay. Either way her heart pounded in her chest as she prepared herself to ask Owen the question that was burning on her tongue. 

Claire stepped outside, her eyes immediately landing on the bench where she saw Owen the previous morning. Except this time it was empty. She scanned the parts of the path she could see, but no one was there. 

Standing at the entrance for another moment, she felt her heart breaking as the doors to the resort remained closed. No one coming in or out. No sign of Owen. She turned, listening to the Brachiosaurus in the distance. Remembering the bench by the lagoon, Claire took off in a steady jog towards the lagoon. 

That bench was empty as well. She stood for a moment, looking out over the water. Did she read him wrong? Was the kiss on her cheek just so he wouldn’t hurt her feelings? Was he turned off because she admitted to having a relationship with Andrew? 

Not in the mood to run this morning, Claire started back towards the resort. 

“Claire!” Owen’s voice had Claire snapping her head up, scanning the path until she spotted him running towards her. She bit back her laughter when he got closer and noticed the bed head hairdo he sported. 

All of her internal fears dissipated when it was obvious he overslept. 

“Sorry!” He called out, breathlessly. “Rough night. Apparently when I hit the snooze button on my alarm, I actually turned it off.” 

As they both walked towards each other, Claire called out her question. Unable to hold back anymore. “Why did you stop me from kissing you last night?” She asked, slowing her step, afraid of his answer. 

“I want you to make the decision to kiss me sober.” He simply stated, his steps towards her hesitant when he saw her slow down. He wanted to give her that chance to walk away if she needed. 

Claire’s heart jumped to her throat as she picked up her pace. It was now or never. She couldn’t have come up with a more perfect answer. 

Owen slowed down as she walked towards him, her strides now long and rushed. His own heart beating fast in his chest as he anticipated what was coming next. 

Claire didn’t stop moving until her body slammed against Owens, but he didn’t falter. He was ready for the collision, his arms wrapping tight around her waist as she reached up, locking her arms around his neck and pulling him down towards her. Their lips met and a whirlwind of feelings swept through Claire as Owen’s lips moved with hers. 

Fitting in Owen’s arms felt natural. Feeling his lips on hers set fireworks off in the pit of her stomach. The way he kissed her made her feel wanted, desired. It made her feel alive. His tongue touched her lips briefly and she was quick to grant him access. As the kiss deepened Claire couldn’t help but feel as if she was being kissed for the first time. Owen was fierce, but gentle. His arms were strong around her. 

Loosening her arms, Claire slid her hand into the hair at the nape of his neck, securing his face to hers. 

They both pulled away at the same time, gasping for air. Owen dropped his forehead to rest against hers. He brought his hands up to cup her face and let his lips touch hers softly before pulling back. His hands resting on her hips as he studied her. He’s seen her face flushed before, but this was different. She wasn’t embarrassed this time. 

“Apparently I answered that question correctly.” He said with a smile.

Claire let her arms drop and wrap around his waist, not quite ready to fully pull away from him. “You passed.” 

Owen leaned back, keeping his hands secure on her hips. “I’m glad.” He said, leaning back in to kiss her again. Her lips quickly becoming like a drug to him. He couldn’t deny the cravings now that he’d tasted it. 

Claire’s phone buzzed in her pocket, causing her to whimper against Owen’s lips. She turned her head, opening up the reminder notification. Owen’s lips refusing to leave her, he trailed kisses along her jawline, feeling her shiver in his arms, he smiled against her skin when he realized he found her sweet spot. Paying close attention to the spot on her neck, just below her ear, he could feel her body vibrating. “Owen!” Claire did her best to try and sound stern, but she failed miserably. His name coming out like a moan. He stopped immediately when her hands pressed against his chest. “I completely missed my run. We’ve been standing here for half an hour. I have a meeting in twenty minutes.” She informed him. 

Owen let his hands drop to his sides, a pout on his lips. Claire giggled at his reaction and reached up on her toes to kiss his pout. “Don’t you have raptors to attend to?” She reminded him. 

“Yeah,” he sighed, turning and kicking a rock out of his way. “This is more fun though.” 

“I agree,” Claire said with a chuckle. 

Owen caught her stretching as they walked and shook his head when she smirked over at him. “I don’t want to ru—” He cut off when she took off down the path in front of him. 

“You’ve got to stop doing that!” He called after her and ran to catch up. 

He let her lead back to the resort. Then his arms caught her around her waist and he leaned around her to kiss her cheek. 

Claire flushed and slipped from his arms. 

“Ah, yes, no PDA.” Owen said and allowed her to step away from him. 

“I’m very adamant in keeping my private life separate from work. It’s bad enough I get rumors floating around about me all the time.”

“Oh,” Owen looked off in the distance, and tapped his chin as he pretended to think for a moment. “I heard the one where you slept your way to the top.” 

Claire narrowed her eyes, reaching out and punching his shoulder. “It’s not true! I’ve slept with one man on this entire island.” 

Owen raised and eyebrow and reached for her hips. “Want to make it two?” 

Claire jumped back and away from him. “Stop it!” She hissed and turned to walk inside, turning to yell over her shoulder, “See you later!” 

“Was that a yes or no?” Owen called after her. 

She waved her hand over her head, but continued towards the elevator.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep those reviews coming! You guys are great! Enjoy Chapter 10!

Owen was practically skipping as he walked into the lab. He couldn’t hide the smirk as soon as he saw Andrew over by the raptors. He wanted to tell him he was too late to even think of trying to mend his relationship with Claire. That she was his. Though he knew that conversation would be fun to have, but not too fun when it got back to Claire. 

“Hey, Blue!” Owen said excitedly, reaching out and scooping her up. She squeaked and immediately bent her head to rub it against his hand. 

“Hey,” Andrew called over his shoulder as he concentrated on trying to keep Delta on her back so he could listen to her belly. 

“Morning,” Owen answered as he stepped beside him. “She ok?” He wondered, moving Blue over to one hand while he reached out to help hold Delta down with the other. 

“She got sick a few times last night. Veronica was working with her, but she couldn’t find anything wrong.” Andrew said with a loud yawn. 

“Rough night?” Owen wondered, watching Andrew shake his head to try and get himself to wake up. 

“Yeah, I was working all night. Actually I’ve been working for almost 24 hours.” Andrew said with a frustrated growl. 

“Why?” Owen asked, his attention turning to Charlie and Echo who were stumbling their way towards Delta. 

“Boss lady made me do my examination on the Allosaurus overnight so to not mess with her showing times today.” He didn’t bother to try and hide his frustration with Claire. He knew it was only because he was tired. 

“How’d that go?” Owen immediately regretted asking when Andrew glared up at him. 

“Get ready for Claire to be in a pissy mood today. I sent her an email that she should be reading any minute.” Andrew said with a smirk. “Her _asset_ is going to be missing the first few showings today anyway.” 

“Why?” 

“The Allosaurus had a lump on her leg that was starting to bother her. Taking a closer look at it last night, it looks like it was a laceration that ended up getting infected. I had to reopen it and clean it out. It’s wrapped with an antibiotic ointment right now. She’s going to need to be put out for a while to get it to heal properly.” Andrew explained. “If she woke up now, she’s just going to get pissed that her leg is wrapped and pull it off. I need time for the antibiotic to seep into it and actually work.” 

Owen stared at him confused. “And you’re smirking because…” 

Andrew snorted, “I’m going to get called to the principals office. She’s cute when she’s mad.” 

Owen locked his lips together in a tight line, forcing himself to keep his mouth shut. 

“Well,” Andrew continued, oblivious to Owen’s tense stance. “Delta seems to be doing better. Try feeding her a little slower this morning and see how she reacts to it.” 

Owen nodded, placing Blue down and reaching for Delta. He couldn’t help but laugh at her as she let out a tiny growl and bit his finger, her teeth not quite sharp enough to puncture his skin. “Hey, now, little girl. I wasn’t the one that pissed you off.” He reached for the syringe that had purée meat in it and fed her a bit. She sucked it down quickly. 

Andrew watched with a satisfied smile. 

Andrews phone rang and Owen turned to watch his face pale before regaining his confidence. “There she is.” He said, looking down at the caller ID. “Hel—” his greeting was cut off immediately and Owen’s eyes widened when he heard Claire’s voice yelling through the phone. 

_“What the hell are you doing, Andrew! I’m heading to my meeting now. I want that attraction open by the first showing at 10.”_

“She’s sedated.” Andrew informed her matter of factly. 

_“My office in half hour. I don’t have time to deal with this, this morning!”_ She yelled and hung up. 

Andrew put his phone back in his pocked and sighed heavily, looking up to smile at Owen. “That went well.” 

“Went?” Owen snorted. “That sounded like it was just the appetizer.” 

“Na,” Andrew shrugged. “That’s her just being pissy. You don’t want to be anywhere on the island when she’s raging.” 

Owen rolled his eyes, turning back to Delta and mumbled, “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

“I’ll be doing some rounds, checking on the big girl and then I’ll be upstairs. Call me if anything changes with Delta.” 

Owen nodded, his focus set on his raptor. 

Andrew made it to Claire’s office exactly thirty minutes after she called. Approaching Zara’s desk, he smiled at her, gesturing towards Claire’s door. “She inside?” 

Zara shook her head, pointing to the group of chairs beside the door. 

Andrew’s brow furrowed as he took in Zara’s stern look. Usually she let him wait in her office if she wasn’t there. He looked at the chairs and back at Zara. 

She finally looked up from her computer and huffed in frustration. “Dr. Carter, Ms. Dearing is not in her office right now. Please have a seat.” 

Andrew recoiled as if he was slapped. “When did you go all official business?” He asked, unsure of where the attitude was coming from. They always got along in the past. 

“Chair, Dr. Carter.” She simply stated, pointing once again.

“Ok!” Andrew threw his hands up, palms towards her and moved to sit down. 

Andrew heard the heels clanking loudly in the hall as Claire approached. He caught Zara dropping her phone in her desk drawer and made herself busy at her computer. “Damn, even her walk sounds angry.” Andrew snickered, hoping to get some sort of smile from Zara.

She spun in her chair, finger jabbing towards him. “Her mood is all your fault! She’s snapping at everyone!” Zara hissed. 

“The dinosaur is injured!” Andrew snapped back. 

“But you could have given her a heads up! You know she hates getting news like that with only an hour to relocate the attraction crew and get announcements out to the guests.” 

Before Andrew could respond, Claire rounded the corner, her face set in a fierce scowl. 

Claire turned briefly towards Zara. “Hold my calls.” She demanded, and opened her office door, motioning for Andrew to go inside. 

Andrew had just made it through the door when Claire slammed it behind him, her finger jabbing into his chest. “Do you know how bad you just fucked up my morning?!” She paused as she turned to walk towards her desk. “A bit more of a heads up would have been ideal.” She spun around to glare at him. “Where’s the chart on the examination?” She asked, gesturing back towards her empty desk. 

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, Claire. Since when do you demand the charts on your desk within twelve hours of exam?” 

Claire’s hands lifted to her temples and she did her best to massage the stress away. “Since I started this position! You know I need the chart so I can assess how long the asset is going to be out of service.” 

“It was never a problem before.” Andrew’s features softened and he stepped towards Claire. 

“Yeah it was…” Claire shifted, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ears, her eyes dropping to the floor as she spoke. “You just had a way of distracting me.” 

Andrew smiled and reached for her hips. “Will it work now?” 

Claire jumped away, stumbling backwards and moving around her desk, feeling better when it was between her and Andrew. “No.” She said, her voice flat. 

“Fine,” Andrew sighed, realizing she just wasn’t ready for him to move in so quickly. “I’m sorry I didn’t have it on your desk this morning. But I will need her under until the antibiotics do their thing.” 

“Oh, Andrew,” Claire groaned, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Fine,” she huffed. “I’ll figure it out.” 

“That’s my girl.” Andrew flashed her a smile that he knew she always loved. 

Claire shook her head, unamused. “No. I’m not, Dr. Carter. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to clean up your mess and deal with thousands of pissed off guests.” She groaned, walking towards her door and opening it for him. 

Andrew was about to apologize when his phone rang. “Owen?” He raised an eyebrow in question and quickly answered the phone. “Hey,” He greeted him. 

Claire stepped closer as Andrew listened to Owen’s panicked voice. _“It’s Delta. She finished what was in the syringe and now she won’t stop throwing up. Something’s wrong.”_

“What’s wrong?” Claire asked, as Andrew listened to Owen. He held up his finger as he spoke. “Ok, I’m on my way down. Flip her on her belly so she doesn’t choke.” 

“Is it one of the raptors?” Claire asked as Andrew hung up the phone. 

Andrew nodded. “Delta. She has been spitting up. She just got sick again. I’m going to have to take her in to the hospital for a more thorough exam.” 

Claire’s heart jumped to her throat. She wanted to rush down to be with Owen. She knew how terrified he must be, but she also knew the amount of work that Andrew placed on her plate for the morning with the Allosaurus. She wanted to lash out at Andrew again for causing her the extra work and not allowing her to check on Owen, but she kept her mouth shut. “I’ll check in as soon as I clean up your mess.” She huffed and rushed by him to hurry to the control room so she could start giving out orders for the control crew to give out the notifications they needed. 

Andrew hurried back down to the lab, immediately reaching for Delta cradled in Owen’s hands. 

“She’s shivering.” Owen informed him, panic strong in his voice. 

“I’ve got to take her to the hospital. She’s probably dehydrated by now.” Andrew informed him. “I need to rule some things out.” 

“Like what?” Owen half shrieked, his eyes wide with worry. 

“I don’t know yet.” Andrew shrugged. placing Delta in a small carrier, pulling a panicked cry from the baby raptor.

“No!” Owen said quickly. He reached for a blanket and took her back out of the carrier, wrapping her up and cradling her in his arms. 

“Ok.” Andrew said and led Owen from the room. “My car is just out back.” 

XXX

By the time Claire got everything under control with the Allosaurus, it was almost two hours since she last spoke to Andrew. Checking her phone, she didn’t see any texts from Owen. Turning quickly, unable to suppress her worry any longer, she faced Vivian. “I will be in the medic lab. There’s an issue with one of the raptors. Page me if something happens.” 

“Oh no!” Vivian cried out. “I hope the poor thing is ok!” She called after Claire as she rushed from the control room. 

“Hi, Ms. Dearing.” Veronica greeted Claire as she entered the hospital. 

“Dr. Carter?” Claire asked and Veronica immediately pointed down the hall. “Ultrasound.” She informed Claire. 

“Ultrasound?” Claire gasped, her eyes wide. But hurried down the hall towards Owen. “Hey,” she said as she burst through the door. 

Owen immediately jumped to his feet, taking a step towards Claire, but clasping his hands together, remembering her rule and the fact that Andrew was in the room. “Hey,” He said, his head hanging in defeat. The one thing he wanted was his arms around her, but he didn’t want to push things so fast. 

Claire seemed to understand his struggle, and reached out to rub his back as they turned towards Delta’s still body on the ultrasound table. “How is she?” She asked, her hand working soothing circles on Owen’s back. 

It was Andrew that spoke up first, his focus on the monitor. “I think it’s her kidneys. Just waiting on the bloodwork. Her stomach looks good.” 

Owen peered down at Claire and she saw the worry there. She reached out and took his hand. “She’ll be ok. Andrew’s team is the best. She’ll be fine.” 

Andrew glanced over at Claire with a smile. He was expecting her to be looking back at him after her compliment. His smile fading when his eyes didn’t meet hers. Instead she held Owen’s hand, her eyes locked with his. 

Without thinking, Andrew cleared his throat, turned off the ultrasound machine and hurried across the room. “I will check on the bloodwork.” Andrew informed them, regaining their attention, but his eyes were still focused on their interlocked hands. “Claire, a word, please.” Andrew grumbled and pushed between them on his way to the door. 

Claire immediately followed him. “What’s the plan?” She wondered when she caught up with him in the hall. 

Andrew didn’t answer. His face was set in a scowl as he walked towards the blood lab. He couldn’t get the image of Claire’s face out of his mind. She clearly was worried about Delta and doing her best to comfort Owen. He shook his head, unable to remember one time she tried to comfort him when he had a rough case to deal with, or having to put one of the dinosaurs down. 

“Hello?” Claire said when he didn’t answer her. She reached out and touched his arm. “Andrew!” She said louder, finally gaining his attention. 

“Sorry,” he grumbled. “Just worried.” Was the only excuse he could come up with. 

She rubbed his arm lightly, “You’ll help her.” She smiled when he finally looked over at her. “I’ve always had complete faith in what you do. I still do. You’re a great doctor, Andrew. You’ll fix it.” Claire did her best to try and calm his nerves. She could clearly see the pain in his eyes, but he needed to be calm and focused. She relaxed when she heard him take a deep breathe, his shoulders relaxing. Calming his nerves meant he would be able to be more focused on helping Delta. She was doing it for Owen’s sake. If Owen saw Andrew calm and focused, it would help settle Owen’s nerves. 

Andrew reached out, draping his arm across her shoulders as they walked, pulling her into his side, and kissing her temple. “Thanks for that. It means a lot.” Andrew said softly. He felt like his heart was going to explode. Those words made him fall in love with her all over again. She was finally comforting him the way he always wanted her to. 

Claire gave an uncomfortable laugh and stepped away from Andrew. They approached the lab and Claire stepped aside. Both of them falling into an old routine. Any time Claire visited him, the one room she refused to go in was the blood lab. She hated the sight of blood and always stood, her back against the wall just outside the door, so she couldn’t see inside. 

Andrew smiled at the way she stuck with her old habit and continued inside to check Delta’s results. “Yup.” Andrew called out so Claire could hear him. 

“Yeah, what?” Claire wondered. Her eyes focused on the wall across from her. 

“It’s her kidney’s. Luckily we caught it in the early stages. She’ll be fine. I’ll have to keep her here a few days for medication and to observe her.” He said as he exited the room. He was greeted by Claire’s bright smile. 

“That’s great!” She cheered. 

Unable to stop himself, he reached for Claire’s hips, her excitement radiating with him had his emotions boiling over. 

Claire immediately stepped out of his reach and motioned back down the hallway. “We should tell Owen.” She said and turned to start walking. 

Andrew knew this wasn’t going to be easy. He could clearly see her struggling around him, but he was determined to win her trust back. 

By the time they made it back to the ultrasound room, Owen was leaning over on the table, stroking Delta’s snout soothingly. The moment he heard Claire’s heels, he stood straight, his eyes locked on the doorway. “Well?” He demanded the moment both Claire and Andrew walked back into the room. 

Andrew was quick to reassure Owen, who’d face immediately went pale from all the emotions. He let out a heavy sigh of relief, resting his hands on the table and hanging his head to try and get himself to calm down. Reminding himself over and over again that she was going to be ok. 

Andrew excused himself to go get an incubator set up, leaving Claire and Owen alone. Owen didn’t seem to even notice that the moment Andrew left, shutting the door behind him, Claire stepped beside him, her hand rubbing soothing circles on his back once again. “Owen?” She said softly, waiting for him to lift his head. “You ok?” 

He nodded slowly. “Just relieved.” 

Claire reached out, placing her palm against his cheek to try and get him to look over at her. She smiled when his eyes finally met hers. “Hey.” She sighed.

He returned her smile, dropping his forehead down to rest against hers. “Hey,” He whispered, tilting his head to kiss her and smiling against her lips when he heard her let out a small sigh of contentment. 

Owen turned, unwilling to break the kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss. 

Claire melted against him, allowing him to deepen the kiss. If he needed a distraction for a few minutes and this is what he wanted, well, who was she to deny him. 

Delta made a weak squeak on the table and Owen immediately stepped away from Claire to turn towards his raptor who was starting to wake up from the anesthesia. At the same moment the door opened and Andrew stepped inside. Claire jumped further away from Owen, her hand immediately rising to her lips, trying to get rid of any sign that she was just making out. Thankfully Andrew was too focused to notice anything, his attention on Delta. 

“Everything is set up for her.” Andrew informed Owen. 

Owen nodded, grabbing the blanket and wrapping Delta up once more so he could bring her to her bed. 

Claire’s phone rang and she groaned, not wanting to leave Owen. 

“Go ahead,” Andrew told her as he helped Owen get Delta comfortable in his arms. “I’ll come by in a bit to give you an update.” It was a reflex statement from when they were dating. If she was visiting him with a sick dinosaur and her phone rang calling her away. 

“Thanks.” She answered and reached out to give Owen’s arm a tight squeeze. “I’ll stop in before the end of the day to see how she is.” 

Her words seemed to set off a reminder in his head. Of course he was going to stay by Delta’s side, but that left the other raptors alone. “Damn it.” Owen hissed. “I completely forgot about the other three. Barry—” 

Claire was quick to cut him off. “It’s fine. I’ll call Barry and let him know.” 

Without thinking, Owen shifted Delta to one arm and reached out to hug Claire with the other. “Thank you. That would be great.” 

Claire hugged him back quickly and stepped away from him. “No problem.” She said and turned towards Andrew. “Don’t forget you still have the Allosaurus to check up on.” 

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know.” He said as Claire walked out of the room. He waited until he heard the clicking of her heels fading as she walked down the hall. “She’s a rollercoaster, that one.” He said with a shake of his head. 

“What do you mean?” Owen asked as they started walking down the hall, towards the treatment room. 

“She was just all over me, being so supportive over Delta.” Andrew said and Owen’s steps faltered, his eyes narrowing as his gaze snapped towards Andrew. 

“All over you?” He repeated. 

Andrew nodded, unaware of Owen’s death stare. “Yeah, if she was that supportive before, I would have never even thought of leaving.” 

“Are we talking about Claire?” Owen asked through clenched teeth. How could he say Claire was all over Andrew when she was literally just making out with him. 

Andrew laughed. “Yeah.” 

“She was all over you?” Owen pressed. 

“Well,” Andrew shrugged. “Not the way I would have liked her to be, but she was set on making me feel better. It was a nice change from her normal constant pestering to just get these animals cured and back out in the spotlight.” 

Owen took a deep breath, wanting to reach up and rub his forehead. He could feel a headache coming on. “Man,” Owen snorted and shook his head. “I thought you were going to tell me she was all over you… like… well… you know.” He couldn’t believe just how much he was struggling to finish that sentence. 

“Oh,” Andrew chuckled. “That would have been nice, but no. I don’t think we’re quite there yet.” 


	11. chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep those reviews coming!! I love reading your reactions, big or small! Thanks for reading!

Claire stood in the control room, keeping an eye on Andrew’s final check in for the Allosaurus. Like usual, he was behind on Claire’s revised schedule for the dinosaur. She knew it was strictly because Delta put him a little behind, so she wasn’t pestering him. 

She was about to head back to her office when her phone dinged, informing her of the incoming text message. **Come back. I’m bored.**

Claire smiled down at her phone, wishing she could be sitting there with Owen. **I wish I could. Stuck doing paperwork on the Allosaurus.**

**You have to have lunch.**

Sighing heavily, Claire hated to blow him off. **Eating in my office today. Too much to do. If I work through lunch I may just get out on time tonight.**

 **Sure, get out on time the day I have my hands full.** Claire could imagine Owen pouting and she couldn’t help but smile. 

“Hey, Claire.” Zara called out, pulling Claire from her phone. She continued when Claire looked up at her. “Mr. Masrani is on line two for you.” 

“Thanks.” She sighed and walked into her office, the text conversation forgotten. Sitting down at her desk, she quickly reached for her phone. “Hi, Mr. Masrani. I’m sorry if I kept you waiting. It’s been a long morning.” 

_“Yeah I saw on the itinerary for the attractions. How’s the Allosaurus?”_

“Dr. Carter is just finishing up his final check-up with it. Should be awake for the afternoon showings.” Claire informed him. 

_“Great news.”_ Simon commended. _“I will be making a trip next week for the banquet. There will be many investors attending and I’d like you to have your presentation ready.”_

“Wait,” Claire leaned back in her chair, turning towards the big windows behind her. “The presentation you asked me to put together was for Friday?” 

_“Yes.”_ Simon answered. 

“We have a group of investors already interested in the new asset.” She pointed out.

 _“I know, but what better way to raise the competition. This banquet is in honor of the new asset’s production starting. So there will be a larger group of investors other than the small one you will be presenting to.”_ Simon took a breath before continuing. _“The investors you will be presented to have been given VIP tickets to the banquet.”_

Claire leaned her head back against the chair and closed her eyes. The stress settling in. “Yes, Mr. Masrani. I will present the asset at the banquet.” She was glad he couldn’t see the scowl on her face. 

_“You’re my favorite!”_ Simon cheered. 

Claire rolled her eyes. “How do I know you don’t say that to the other managers?” 

Simon laughed. _“Because no other manager could live up to what you do for my park. I’m sure you’d take my job if you fought hard enough.”_

Claire couldn’t help but laugh at that. It was true. She never backed down from a challenge. 

After saying goodbye to Simon, Claire got to work on the charts from Andrew and busied herself in mapping out the showing times for the rest of the day. 

It was almost dinner time by the time Claire finished for the day. She stretched and yawned as she rose to her feet to pack up for the day. Pausing at Zara’s desk to say a quick goodbye, she hurried down to the innovations center, passing the lab on her way out, she suddenly remembered Owen in the animal hospital. 

Pulling out her phone she sent him a quick text. **Sorry, my day ended up being swamped. Hows it going?**

It was seconds later she got a reply, making it obvious he was bored. **It’s going. Delta has been sleeping all day. Haven’t been able to bring myself to leave her.**

Claire halted as she read his text. She was on her way to her car, but she turned towards the main entrance to the Innovations center. Putting her phone away, she walked up the taco cart, ordering food for both her and Owen. 

She felt her phone buzzing in her pocket as she drove over to the hospital, but knew it was Owen. Pulling in to a parking spot, she grabbed both meals and entered the building. 

“Ms. Dearing…” Russ, one of the nurses stood up when she walked through the doors. “Dr. Carter left for the day. Dr. Roman is on duty.” He said glancing down at the bag of food in her hands. 

“It’s ok.” She waved him off. “I’m here to check in on Mr. Grady.” 

“Oh the raptor guy. Yeah, he’s back in treatment.” 

Claire nodded her thanks and walked down the hall. 

Owen heard the heels and didn’t bother to look up. He was so tired of hearing those damn heels on the floor just to get excited, look up and see one of the techs or nurses walking by. Instead, he weighed his phone in his hands, waiting for Claire to answer his latest text. 

“Hey.” Owen snapped his head up, eyes locking with Claire. 

“Hey!” He replied, jumping to his feet. “I figured you went home.” 

She shook her head, holding up the bag of food. “After your text, I figured you didn’t have lunch, so I brought dinner.” 

Owen’s stomach growled at the smell of the food. “No, I didn’t. This is…” He trailed off as he reached for the bag. “Thanks.” He said and opened the bag, doing a quick double take. His vision landing on the familiar salad sitting in the bag. 

When he looked back up at her, Claire shrugged. “Figured you’d want some human company.” 

Owen immediately reached for a second chair, pulling it beside his. “That’s exactly what I need.” 

They sat, both balancing their meals on their laps as they chatted about their day. Owen seemed to hang on every word Claire said. He was just grateful to have her sitting beside him that he didn’t care what she talked about. 

“Hey, I’ve got a question.” Owen said once the conversation between them slowed down. He leaned back in his chair, wiping his face and tossing his empty container in the bag beside them. 

“Hm?” Claire raised an eyebrow waiting for him to ask. 

“Do you still need help on that presentation?” Owen wondered, his eyebrow raised in anticipation, hoping she would get the not so subtle hint that he wanted to have another night like last night. 

“Erm…” Claire hesitated, nibbling on her bottom lip. “I do, but—” She cut off, but Owen could clearly see the internal battle she was having with herself. 

“You know what, I don’t even know how late I’m going to be here, anyway.” Owen shrugged, matter of factly. He didn’t want to force her into making any kind of decision she’d regret in the morning. 

Claire straightened up. “Really?” 

“Yeah,” Owen lied and turned his attention to Delta asleep beside them. “I’m not ready to leave her yet.” His face softened, crinkling into a more concentrated stare at Delta. He wasn’t about to show any sign of disappointment at her relieved tone. 

Claire nodded, thankful that she didn’t have to explain herself to him. As much as she wanted to, she just wasn’t ready to jump into bed with him. Feeling the need to prove herself to him, she was happy she didn’t have to try and come up with a better excuse. 

Owen could see the nerves settle down as he watched her eyes soften. He was beginning to realize all her emotions may be hidden well behind her face, but her eyes always give her away. 

They sat in silence for a while, both settling in on watching the rise and fall of Delta’s chest as she slept. 

“Speaking of my presentation…” Claire trailed off, shifting nervously in her chair, her focus dropping to the floor. 

“Yeah?” Owen pressed, turning back towards her, watching her body language closely. Whatever she had to say was way out of her comfort zone. “Hey,” he said softly, leaning in towards her and placing his hand on her knee. “Whatever you need. Just say it.” 

The look in her eyes reminded him of a child wanting to ask a parent for a much wanted toy and hoping the answer would be yes. He’d never seen her look so vulnerable and it took everything in him to not scoop her up and hold her in his arms. He’d give her the world if she’d ask for it right now. 

Claire contemplated on how she wanted to word her question, but she just couldn’t find the right words. She forgot how to form a proper sentence. 

“Ok,” Owen huffed, reaching out and grabbing Claire’s hand, dragging her behind him as he walked towards a more private room, his eyes watching cautiously so they wouldn’t be seen. 

“Owen!” Claire hissed, but didn’t fight him. She didn’t want to cause a bigger scene. Luckily no one was in the hall as he yanked her into a dark room, shut the door behind him and locked it. “What are you doing?” She shrieked, blinking a few times to try and get her eyes to focus in the dark. Her hand flung out in front of her in search of Owen. 

His hand immediately found hers and he squeezed tight. “This is better,” He sighed. “You’re going to literally kill me if you keep looking at me that way!” 

“What way?” She wondered and couldn’t help but feel a bit offended that he chose to talk to her in a pitch-black room rather than face to face.

“That look,” Owen breathed, his hands moving up her arms, feeling for her face and cupped her cheeks in his hands. “Those eyes are going to be the death of me. What did you want to ask me?” 

“You’re going to make me ask you in the dark?” 

“Yes.” 

“Well, there’s this banquet,” Claire spoke quickly. “I have to attend and well, I was wondering if you’d…” She tailed off, and Owen could feel her shifting, his hands still light on her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, Claire let the rest of her question spill out. “If you’d like to accompany me.” Claire couldn’t help but smile, she was actually feeling a bit more confident now that she couldn’t see his initial reaction. 

Owen’s breath hitched and he was thankful the darkness hid his jaw dropping open in surprise. He collected himself quickly, standing tall and began moving his thumbs, caressing her soft skin. “Are you asking me out, Ms. Dearing?” 

Claire could hear the sarcasm in his voice and reached out blindly to hit whatever part of him her hand could come in contact with. “Shut up!” She hissed. “It’s just a banquet. I figured you’d want to hear my presentation you were so generous to help me with.” 

Sliding his hands from her cheeks, he guided them down her neck until the came to a rest on her shoulders. “I don’t really do formal events.” He said quietly. 

“Oh, well. That’s fine.” She tried her best to hide the disappointment in her voice, but Owen saw right through her. Even in a dark room he could practically _see_ the look she was giving him. 

He sighed heavily. “What would I have to wear? I don’t own dress pants. I sure as hell don’t own a suite or tux or whatever the fuck we’re supposed to wear to those kind of things.” 

“It doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about it.” Claire said quietly. 

“It doesn’t matter what I wear?” He asked, his eyebrow raising in question even though she couldn’t see it. 

“No. I meant you don’t have to go.” She said and moved to step around him and feel her way to the door somewhere behind him. 

“Hey,” Owen said quickly, squeezing his hands lightly to keep her in place. “I’m sorry. I want to spend the time with you. I just—” 

“Not the formal type of guy.” She finished for him. “I said it’s fine.” 

This time Claire twisted her body, forcing him to let her go and he didn’t fight it. Letting his arms drop beside him, he stood still while she felt her way around him. 

“You mad?” He asked, causing her to pause with her hand on the doorknob. 

She shook her head even though he couldn’t see her, but the silence from her gave him a different answer. 

“Damn it.” Owen mumbled under his breath. “Is there an open bar?” He asked just as she was about to open the door. 

“Yes.” She spoke quietly and Owen could tell her back was towards him. 

He took a small step in her direction. “Will you be in some sort of sexy dress?” He asked, stepping closer to her, stretching his hands out in front of him to search the dark for her. His hands were low as he made contact with her. Claire’s breath caught in her throat when his fingers grazed her ass and he quickly stepped behind her, slipping his hands around her waist, his body pressed against her back. “You know, one of those damn dresses that scream fuck me.” 

“You are one cocky asshole.” Claire said breathlessly as she spun around in his arms, their mouths sloppily trying to find the other’s in the dark. 

This kiss was different than the others. The passion and desire behind this kiss had them both craving more. Owen’s hands slid around her waist and moved to fist her blouse, tugging it out of her skirt. Her hands slid down his chest and moved under his shirt, her palms against his skin on his hips pulled a low growl from deep in his throat. The sound echoed by Claire as she let her fingers roam across his stomach. 

Owen brought his hands up to the top button on her blouse and began to work his way down, undoing each button with a quick flick of his fingers. 

_“Dr. Roman to exam 5.”_ The voice over the intercom had Claire gasping and jumping back. Her heel tangled in something and she let out a startled scream as she fell backwards. A loud clatter echoed through the room as she fell. 

“Claire!” Owen called out, his hands flailing around in front of him trying to find her. “Are you ok? Hold on!” He felt his way to where he knew the door was groping the wall until he found the light switch. 

“AH!” They both complained and squeezed their eyes shut from the brightened of the light. 

By the time Owen’s eyes adjusted he found Claire desperately trying to unwrap the extension cord from around her ankle. 

“You ok?” He repeated, kneeling beside her. 

“I’m fine.” She huffed. 

Owen reached out and swatted Claire’s hands away. “You’re just making it worse.” He said and slipped her heel of to unwind the cord. He looked up at her and smiled, but his eyes got stuck on her half open shirt that shifted when she fell. The left side of her white lace bra completely exposed. 

Following his eyes, Claire gasped and was quick to pull her blouse closed. Owen wasn’t sure if he should have been offended or not. He was the one that unbuttoned it and she allowed him to. But he clearly saw the humiliation on her face and turned his back so she could put herself back together. 

“I’m sorry.” She whispered as she situated herself. “I can’t do that. Any of that… not here.” 

“Been there, done that?” Owen snorted. He meant it as a joke, but as he turned slightly to peek back at her, he quickly turned the rest of the way, his eyes growing wide. The look she was giving him was one of complete hatred and disgust. 

Her eyes narrowed as she dropped her chin towards her chest, her jaw set in a deep frown and she balled her hands into tight fists. “Did you seriously just say that?” 

“Uhh…” Owen looked around quickly, praying the floor would open up and swallow him whole. “No.” He threw her his best, most innocent smile. He caught her scowl soften for a moment, but she recoiled quickly. 

“I’m going home.” She stated and moved to step around him. 

“I’m an asshole.” Owen said, his hand flying out to catch her before she walked by. 

“You’re just figuring that out?” She snapped, refusing to turn to look at him. 

“I’m sorry. It sounded funny in my head.” He admitted, finally relaxing when he saw her shoulders relax. 

Claire stood silently for a moment and sighed deeply, shaking her head. “It’s fine, but I am going home.” 

“I’ll probably be here for a while longer and then check on Barry. Guy has to be exhausted.” Owen explained. “He worked last night and then most of the day today.” 

Claire nodded. “Coparenting sounds like it really sucks.” Claire chuckled, receiving a laugh from Owen. “Will I see you in the morning?” She immediately saw the struggle in his eyes. 

He wanted to say yes, but he also wanted to find some time to get some sleep. “I’ll text you later tonight and let you know.” 

Smiling her approval, she reached for the door and opened it, stepping out into the hall, eyes searching. She let out the breath she was holding when the hall was empty. “Say goodnight to Delta for me.” She instructed and waved as she walked away. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep those reviews coming!! Especially after this chapter! Looking forward to everyone's reactions. Thanks for reading!

“Hey!” Claire said as she walked into the lab. Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw Delta back in the nest with the others. “Oh, she’s out of the hospital!” She exclaimed, her eyes meeting Owen’s. 

“Yup.” Owen answered, reaching out and petting the raptor. “Longest two days of my life.” He huffed, leaning back in his chair. 

“Claire.” Andrew greeted her as he walked into the room. “I didn’t think you were scheduled down here today.” 

“I’m not.” She answered quickly and looked down at the box in her hands. “Owen’s protective gear came in, so I figured I’d bring it down.” Her eyes met Owen’s and he smiled. 

“Thanks.” He said standing up, but Andrew beat him to her, taking the box out of her hands. 

“Perfect timing. The raptors should be ready to move in a few days.” Andrew informed her. 

Claire nodded, glancing over his shoulder at the four raptors moving around, the small nest becoming too small for them as she watched them climb over each other. 

“Well, I have to get back.” Claire waved and turned to leave, Andrew following after her. 

Owen stood up the moment the door closed behind them. It took everything he had in him to not follow after them and just come out and tell Andrew that him and Claire were involved. Owen wasn’t ever the jealous type, but he found himself very cautious of Andrew around Claire. Sure, Owen never actually told Andrew he was interested in her, but he was hoping— especially after they’ve kissed more than once— that Claire would have been the one to tell Andrew she was with someone else and to leave her alone. The way he’s been following her around let him know that she hasn’t said anything about them to Andrew. 

“Hey,” Andrew said softly and turned to place the box on the table nearby. “Have lunch with me today.” He offered, reaching out and taking Claire’s hand. 

“Oh, I actually have that lunch meeting today.” Claire pointed out, she went to continue, but Andrew cut her off. 

“Crap! The one for the new hatchlings in the nursery?” Andrew asked, remembering he was scheduled to be there as well. 

Claire nodded. 

“I forgot about that. I’ll be there as well. Save me a seat.” 

“Um… sure.” Claire said and motioned behind her, towards the elevators. “I have to get going.” 

“Sure, sure.” Andrew motioned for her to go on. “I’ll see you at lunch.” He called after her as she stepped into the elevator. 

“Yes!” Andrew cheered as he walked back into the lab, stepping beside Owen to check over Delta. 

“Good news?” Owen asked, an eyebrow raised in question, his heart beating heavy in his chest. 

“Having lunch with Claire? That’s always good news.” Andrew informed him, a wide grin plastered on his face.

Owen crossed his arms against his chest. “She said— you’re having lunch together?” He didn’t bother to hide the frustration in his voice. 

Andrew nodded, his focus mostly on Delta. 

_Damn it!_ Owen mouthed, waving a fist in front of him, wishing he had something to punch. 

“It’s weird though, she hasn’t said anything about the banquet tomorrow night.” Andrew thought as he settled Delta back down with her siblings. 

“The banquet?” Owen repeated through clenched teeth. She had asked him to go with her. 

“Yeah one is held every year before the development of a new species is started. We’ve gone together the last two years.” 

“I really should try and get some work done.” Owen cut him off before he could continue. 

“Sure! See you for rounds after lunch.” Andrew said, waving over his shoulder. 

“Whatever.” Owen muttered too low for Andrew to hear. 

XXX

  
Claire stepped outside for her morning run, standing off to the side and waited for Owen. She paced in front of the main doors and waited, but there was no sign of him. 

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent him a quick text. **You’re late.**

A few minutes went by without an answer, so she sent him another text. **Everything ok?**

She was relieved when she saw the three small dots indicating he was typing out a reply. Claire watched, for what seemed like hours, as the dots appeared and disappeared. Finally his answer came through. **Tired.** Was all he sent back. 

Claire raised an eyebrow as she stared down at his response. Clearly there was a lot more he wanted to say. **Fine.** She replied. She can play his game, too. 

Putting her phone back in her pocket, she cursed under her breath when she realized she didn’t bring down her headphones. Since Owen started running with her she’s been leaving her headphones home. 

Turning to face the trail, she huffed, too angry to bypass her run today. She took off in a sprint, the sound of her sneakers hitting the pavement echoed in her ears. Her mind immediately searched through the last few days to see why Owen would be blowing her off, but she couldn’t find anything. 

Slowing her sprint to a steady run, Claire thought back to the night at the animal hospital with the two of them shut in the dark room. That was the last real conversation they had and she couldn’t find anything that would have made him angry. In fact the last thing that happened was them ready to tear each other’s clothes off. She blushed at the memory, but it was a good one. At least it was for her. 

What if Owen felt differently? What if he realized he made a mistake? 

Claire shook her head, trying to clear her mind. This was the whole reason why she refused to let herself fall for another man. They barely had a relationship and her heart was shattering. Realizing she let him in to quickly. No way was she going to allow herself to be hurt again, so she closed off her heart, throwing herself into another sprint as hot tears stung her eyes. 

XXX

Refusing to be the one to reach out, Claire dressed for the banquet, the unknown eating away at her. Would Owen be there? 

Adjusting her strapless dress in the mirror and repositioning one of the pins in her updo, Claire couldn’t stall anymore. Owen knew what time she had to be there. She couldn’t be late. Not with Simon being there. 

Picking up her clutch and touching up her red lipstick before heading to the door, Claire opened it slowly, peeking out to see if maybe Owen was waiting in the hall. 

Nothing.

Claire took the elevator down to the lobby and again, he was no where to be seen. 

Hesitating in the parking lot, Claire noticed Owen’s motorcycle was still there. Her eyes narrowed as she looked back at the resort. She could just go knock on his door, but… no. She wasn’t going to back down. Especially when she didn’t know what or if she did anything wrong. 

Pulling up to the formal building, Claire parked and looked around. The large facility was mainly used for weddings, banquets, and staff parties. It was set back on a hill, the large front windows overlooking the park below. 

“Claire!” Simon called out as soon as she stepped inside. “You look stunning.” He smiled. 

“Thanks.” She replied. 

“Are you ready for the presentation?” He asked, looking down at her hands that only held her small clutch. No briefcase in sight.

Claire followed his gaze, glancing back up at him quickly. “I have it memorized. Plus Zara dropped off the slides earlier for me.” She informed him. 

“My Claire,” Simon sighed. “Always prepared.” 

“That’s me!” Claire did her best to smile. 

“Champaign is on ice. Go get yourself a glass. I will be doing a quick toast before the investors get here.” 

“A toast?” Claire asked as she walked with Simon towards the bar. 

“Yes, we’ve had some great advances in the park and I want to thank all of you guys.” He said, handing Claire a glass and taking one for himself. 

“Hey, Claire.” Andrew’s breath caught when she turned to look at him. “Wow,” he sighed. “You look absolutely beautiful.” 

“Thanks.” Claire said, turning back towards Simon. She couldn’t help but feel angry towards Andrew. He was just another man who hurt her. 

Luckily before Andrew could say anything Simon clinked his glass and moved to stand in the middle of the room. It was still early and the only ones there were managers and some lab workers. Claire listened intently as Simon spoke, completely ignoring Andrew who had stepped closer to her. 

Simon raised his glass and took a sip which was followed by everyone else in the room. Claire downed hers, turning to place her empty glass on the tray and took a full one and quickly walked away from Andrew. 

In no time the investors all arrived and Claire quickly gathered herself to present to them. The four glasses of champaign kicking into action, but Claire was cool, calm and collected. As always. 

By the time she was just finishing up her presentation, her eyes found him. Owen stood back by the entrance, leaning against a pillar, his arms folded against his chest. He was starring right back at her. 

Claire ended her presentation and introduced Simon to finish the night before everyone was let loose to mingle, drink and eat. Stepping off the platform, Claire made her way back to the bar, reaching for more champaign. 

Owen stepped beside her, requesting a beer from the bartender. Claire stiffened at the sound of his voice. She turned slowing, setting her empty glass down. “You came.” She said, her voice emotionless. 

Owen nodded, taking a drink. 

Claire let her eyes wander, taking in Owen’s outfit. Khaki pants and a button down shirt. Her eyes landing on his workbooks and scrunching up her nose. 

“You didn’t specify what I had to wear.” Owen pointed out with a weak shrug. 

“No.” Claire shook her head. “It’s fine.” 

“You look amazing.” He said, his eyes lingering on her collarbone. 

Claire turned, reaching for more champaign. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Owen wondered, leaning against the bar to try and look around her. 

“Me?” She hissed, aware of the company around them. “What the hell is wrong with you?” 

Owen refused to meet her eyes, his gaze looking around the room and his eyes narrowing when he spotted Andrew standing with Simon and talking to a few investors. 

“I need to ask you something.” Owen said, ignoring her question. 

“About?” Claire asked, her patience clearly running thin. 

“You and Andrew…” Owen trailed off when Claire quickly looked around her, shifting uncomfortably. “You ok?” He asked, watching her reaction closely. 

“I’m fine. Just not the person to be talking about here.” She whispered. 

“I just want to know what happened when you left with him to check Delta’s bloodwork the other day. And you had lunch with him yesterday.” 

“Happened?” Claire repeated, surprised by the question. “What do you mean and the lunch was a meeting. There were many of us there.” 

“Do you still love him?” He asked, completely avoiding the whole conversation he had in his head. That was really the only thing he wanted to know. For the last two days he held back, waiting to see if Claire would show her interest in him, but she didn’t. He waited for her to tell Andrew about them, but she didn’t. 

“Why are you asking me that?” Claire hissed, slamming her empty glass down on the bar, her hands flying to her hips.

Owen shrugged, not liking her reaction. “Just want to know. He sure as hell still has a thing for you.” 

“No.” She answered, her voice sending chills down Owen’s spine. He knew he pissed her off. 

“So why don’t you tell him?” Owen suggested. 

Claire folded her arms against her chest, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. “Tell him what?” She snapped. 

“About us.” Owen said, shrugging matter of factly. 

“Us?” Claire gasped. “We kissed, Owen.” She hissed, looking around, her cheeks flushing red when she noticed how close they were to other’s. She hoped the music was loud enough to drown them out. 

“Three times.” Owen nodded. “Every time initiated by you.” 

Claire tilted her head, eyes flaring at him. “No! You kissed me back in the ultrasound room! The other two… fine. I did.” She hissed. “But—”

Owen shook his head slowly. “Your hands were on me first in the ultrasound room.”

Claire growled, her temper flaring. “I hate you for making me have this conversation here!” She yelled, a little louder than she may have wanted, but she stormed by him to leave. 

“Hey, wait!” He called out, reaching for her arm to stop her from walking away. 

She raised an eyebrow in response. 

“Look, I’m sorry I started this conversation here. I just need to know what’s going on. Andrew said some things that sat wrong with me the last few days.” Owen explained.

Claire’s eyes grew wide. “Andrew told you what? He was talking about me? About him and I?” 

“Oh!” Owen gasped remembering that she didn’t knew they have been talking. 

“Owen!” Claire yelled, turning her head to search out Andrew in the crowd. She had to remind herself this was a business gathering, so beating the crap out of the Senior Veterinarian would be frowned upon and not a good look for her.

“Ok, fine.” Owen huffed, his head hanging in defeat. “I knew about you and Andrew. I’ve known for a while. It’s really my fault, though.” Owen spoke fast when he saw the shock settling in on Claire’s face. “Please, it wasn’t Andrew’s fault. I kind of pressured him into talking. I like you Claire,” he reached up, running his fingers through his hair, unable to meet her eyes. “I like you a lot. I’ve been so hesitant because I’m not going to stand in your way if you choose him.” Owen fell silent, his gaze stuck on a spot on the floor, not wanting to see what reaction she had. 

Claire stood, frozen as she watched him closely. Everything he just said, clearly was a struggle to get out and she could tell it wasn’t something he did often. He looked vulnerable and she wanted to throw herself at him. 

Reaching out, Claire squeezed his arm reassuringly. “I have no interest in Andrew. I don’t know what he’s told you, or what his intentions are, but…” She trailed off, biting her bottom lip. This time it was her avoiding his eyes. “I like you, Owen. I wa— I want you not him.” 

Owen growled deep in his chest and stepped towards her. “You done here?” He asked, his eyes going dark with the need to get closer to her. 

Claire nodded, reaching for her clutch that was sitting between them on the bar. 

They made it to Claire’s car before Owen couldn’t hold back anymore. He reached for her arm, tugging hard causing her to spin around. His arms locked around her waist and he pressed her back into the car, crushing his lips against hers. 

They pulled apart, both panting as they tried to catch their breath. Claire looked up, her eyes meeting Owen’s. “Take me home.” She demanded, holding her keys up. 

Owen took them, his head tilting in confusion. 

“You made me drink a little too much.” She said, raising her hand, holding her pointer and thumb an inch apart and chuckled at herself. 

“I made you drink? I only saw you drink one or two glasses of champaign.

Claire scrunched up her nose as she shook her head. “I had a lot more.” 

“Good thing I had Barry drop me off before his shift.” He said, opening the passenger door for Claire. 

XXX

Andrew was on his way back to the bar when he hesitated, watching Owen step close to Claire. Why was Owen even there in the first place? He went to approach them, but Claire turned quickly followed by Owen as they made their way to the door. Andrew hesitated for a moment, but moved to follow after them. Owen was his friend? He confided in him about Claire. “There’s no way.” Andrew mumbled to himself as he burst through the front door. 

He saw the headlights pulling out of the parking spot and caught a quick flash of Owen in the driver’s seat. In Claire’s driver’s seat.

XXX

The moment the elevator doors shut and it started to ascend to Claire’s floor, Owen made a move he always desperately wanted to do. He lunged for Claire, and giddy yelp coming from her as they stumbled backwards until her back hit the wall. His hands roamed her back, a hand grazing her ass the motion pulling a soft moan from Claire. 

Once the elevator doors dinged open, the two stumbled out. It was Owen that pulled away, looking around the empty hallway. The moment his lips left hers, Claire moved to kiss his neck, her tongue against his skin making his knees shake. “Don’t you have a rule on someone seeing you… like this?” Owen managed to get out before her kisses on his neck had him diving back in, needing her lips on his. 

“Mmm,” Claire hummed into his mouth. “All… managers… are… at… the… banquet. As… long… as… the… open… bar… holds… out, no… one… will… be… home… until… later.” She mumbled against his lips. 

They stood against her door, neither wanting to break the kiss. Claire’s arms were locked around his neck the keycard in her clutch forgotten. 

“You going to invite me in, or are we doing this right here.” Owen mumbled, moving his lips to her neck. He could feel Claire blindly fiddling with her clutch against his neck until she dropped one hand, reaching behind her. He heard the door click just as she threw it open. Without the door behind her, she stumbled backwards and Owen stepped with her, both of them unwilling to part. 

They kicked off their shoes without breaking the kiss and Claire’s hands immediately moved to Owen’s shirt. “Wait,” Owen said, reaching for Claire’s hands, stilling them on the buttons. “Are you sure about this? You’ve drank tonight and I—”

“Oh, shut up, Owen! Stop trying to be a goody-two-shoes.” She huffed and tugged his shirt open, buttons clattering to the floor. That was the last moment Owen Grady showed his gentleman nature for her. With a heavy growl he slipped his hands to the back of her thighs and lifted her up. She immediately locked her legs around his hips. 

“Bedroom.” She demanded and stretched her arm out, pointing at the door down the hall. 

Together they fell on the bed, Claire immediately moving to straddle his hips, her dress bunched up around her waist. Owen’s hands rubbed softly along her bare legs. He sat up, his hands dipping under her skirt, smiling when he realized she just had a thong on underneath. 

She giggled softly, enjoying the feel of his hands on her. She leaned in to kiss him as her own hands worked to finish removing his shirt. At the same time, his slid up her back, following the line if her zipper and tugging it down. 

The dress fell down to her waist and Owen smiled wider when he saw she didn’t even have a bra on. 

She slipped off of him, standing up just long enough to let the dress fall to her feet before crawling back up his body. 

He held her tight against him as she kissed him. His head spun with the realization that he had Claire, naked, in his arms. He wanted to savor the moment, but the way she moved above him had him realizing that wasn’t what was on her mind. 

Quickly flipping them over so Owen hovered over her, her legs locked around his thighs as she fiddled with his belt. 

They moved together, both of them in sync with with other. Within moments they both knew what the other needed. Their limbs tangled together, both desperately trying to get even closer to the other. 

It was hours before Owen slumped down onto his back, Claire following, collapsing on top of him, her head on his shoulder. They panted together, bodies completely spent, but neither dared to part. 


	13. Chapter 13

Owen woke up first, blinking a few times to try and get his bearings. He tightened his arms realizing they were wrapped around Claire. He smiled, feeling content and buried his nose in her hair, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. 

Claire shifted in his arms and his hands slid further down her hips. Owen’s eyes shot open when he realized she was naked. They both were. Visions of the night flooded his mind and he held her a little closer. 

Rolling so she was facing him, Claire blinked a few times before opening her eyes, her gaze locking with Owen’s. He laid, frozen, remembering he took her to bed after she’d been drinking. He wasn’t quite sure of what her reaction would be. “Mmm.” Claire hummed, slipping her arms around Owen, her leg hitching over his hip. “Good morning.” 

The sound of her voice sent Owen spiraling out of control. She remembered what happened and she was still showing interest. Dropping his head, he kissed her lightly on the lips. “Morning,” He hummed back, allowing his hand to drop from her hip to cup her ass. “How are you feeling?” He asked, wondering what kind of hangover she was greeted with. 

“Umm…” Claire hesitated, rolling her hips against his. “A little sore, but well worth it.” 

For the first time in his life, Owen was stuttering. “I— You?— I mean—” Before he could complete a proper sentence, Claire rolled over him, her lips moving across his chest. “Back for more?” Owen growled. flipping them over so he was hovering over her. 

The way they moved together, this time with Claire more sober, let her know this was for real. He satisfied her more than any other man she’d ever been with. He marveled over every inch of her body, making her feel beautiful. No one ever looked at her the way Owen was. 

The two of them laid together, limbs tangled as they caught their breath. Owen was just about to fall back asleep when Claire’s alarm echoed through the room. “Turn that shit off.” He complained. 

“Sorry,” Claire chuckled, sliding over him to turn it off. “I do have to work today, and so do you.” 

Owen suddenly remembered they had lives outside of the paradise they created in Claire’s bed. He pouted as Claire climbed over him to get out of bed. “Sorry,” She giggled, kissing him quickly and slipping out of bed before he could pull her back in. 

“What time do you have to be in?” Owen wondered, glancing over at her clock. 

“Seven.” She said as she made her way to the closet. 

“It’s five!” Owen complained, twisting on his side to watch her naked body walk across the room. 

Claire rolled her eyes as she turned to look at him. “Does sex give you amnesia?” She asked with a soft giggle. “I’m going for a run.” 

“Really?” Owen raised an eyebrow in question as he sat up in bed. “I didn’t tire you out enough?” 

Claire turned to wink at him before she opened her closet. “You’ve got to work harder than that to get me to miss my morning run, Mr. Grady.” 

Owen tossed the blankets off of him before he stood up. “Challenge accepted, Ms. Dearing. Tonight, Same place, same time. I’ll get you to sleep in tomorrow.” 

“I’ll hold you to that.” She said, accepting his offer. 

Owen watched her closely as she dressed, he appreciated the fact that she didn’t disappear to change. “You coming?” She asked, adjusting her shirt. 

“I have nothing to run in.” He pointed out, gesturing towards his clothes spread out across her room. 

“You’re room in just downstairs.” She reminded him. 

“Fine.” Owen huffed and pulled on his clothes from last night. 

They weren’t alone in the elevator on the way down to the lobby, the merchandise manager joing them from the floor below. Claire and Owen stood as far apart as they could, Claire making herself busy on her phone as always. The moment the elevator doors opened, Claire made her way to the main doors while the manager turned the opposite way to his car. Owen stepped out, walking towards his room. 

It was only a few minutes later when Owen met Claire outside, his arms immediately wrapping around her, his lips at her ear. “Can’t we just go back to bed? I have plenty of cardio activities we could do that’s more fun than this.” He said, reaching out and tugging on her tank. “It’s going to be really hard for me to allow you to be dressed around me.” 

Claire turned towards him, raising an eyebrow. “Your room is closer.” She suggested as she made her way back into the resort. 

“Damn, where the hell have you been my whole life.” He mumbled as he hurried after her. 

XXX

“Good morning, Zara,” Claire smiled as she walked by her. She placed one of the cups of coffee in her hands, down in the desk in front of her. 

Zara looked down at the cup and back up at her boss. “What’s this?” She asked, an eyebrow raising in question. 

Claire shrugged and took a sip of hers. 

“Oh my God…” Zara hissed, jumping to her feet. “You had sex!” 

“What?” Claire shrieked, moving to enter her office, Zara following close behind and shut the door. 

“You did! You’re glowing! I haven’t seen you like this since…” Zara trailed off watching Claire closely. “Actually, you’ve never looked this _happy_ , or should I say satisfied.” 

“Zara!” Claire hissed, and raised her cup of coffee to her face to try and cover her smirk. 

Zara folded her arms against her chest as she watched Claire. “It wasn’t Andrew.” 

Claire shook her head. 

“You slept with Owen!” 

Claire leaped towards her assistant, raising her hand to cover her mouth. “And that doesn’t get repeated. Right?” 

Zara laughed under Claire’s hand. “You may want to stiffen up a little then. You weren’t even this happy when you were with Andrew.”

Claire cleared her throat, standing up straight and squaring her shoulders. 

“Yeah,” Zara rolled her eyes. “That works.” 

Shaking her head, Claire huffed. “Everything will be fine. I’ll be fine.” 

“Ok,” Zara scoffed. “Keep telling yourself that.” She said and turned to exit Claire’s office, pausing at the door to add, “Oh, Simon left you a message this morning.” She smirked back at Claire. “He wants a meeting with Hoskins, Barry and Owen before he leaves this afternoon.” 

Claire swallowed hard, doing her best to keep professional. “That’s fine. Check my calendar for today and fit it in.” 

“Sure.” Zara said with a smirk playing at the corner of her lips. 

“Stop looking at me like that!” Claire snapped. 

Zara turned quickly to hide her snicker and went back to her desk. 

Taking a few moments to shove the thoughts of last night (and this morning) to the back of her head, Claire stepped out of her office, refusing to look at Zara as she made her way to the control room. 

“How’s it look?” Claire asked, stepping between Vivian and Lowery. 

“Everything is on schedule.” Vivian informed her as she drummed her fingers across her keyboard, checking each attraction to make sure they were set for opening. 

“Great,” Claire said, smiling down at Vivian. “Thanks.” 

Doubling back at Claire, Lowery stared up at her, his mouth open in shock. It was rare, if not ever that Claire thanked them. 

Clearing her throat, Claire squared her shoulders and looked over the monitors. She could feel Lowery still starring at her and she glanced at his station briefly before doubling back, her eyes narrowing. “Every day you have more toys on your station. You’re not a child.” 

Lowery smiled as she looked over his growing collection of dinosaurs. “My new hobby.” He explained. “It’s fun to collect them.” 

“Whatever.” Claire huffed with a roll of her eyes and turned to walk away. She made her way back to her office to prepare for her surprise meeting. 

XXX

Owen practically skipped into the lab and clapped Barry on the back. “How are the girls?” 

“Restless.” Barry answered with a tired sigh. He patted Owen on the shoulder as he turned to leave. “Have fun moving them to the nursery.” 

Owen waved goodbye to Barry and turned towards the raptors with a smile. “Moving day girls!” 

“Not so fast.” Hoskins said, coming up behind Owen. 

“What do you mean? They’re ready.” Owen raised an eyebrow as he turned to face Hoskins. 

“Yeah, I know, but Simon wants an update on the program and he wasn’t the facility checked before we move the raptors.” Hoskins informed Owen. 

Owen groaned and slumped down in his chair. “I hate meetings.” He mumbled. 

“Oh, perk up. That redhead is going to be there. At least she’s something to look at.” 

At the mention of Claire, Owen sat up straight. That was a meeting he could attend. Though if she knew about it, why didn’t she give him a heads up? 

Andrew silently stepped up to the incubator to check over the raptors, his back towards Owen. 

“Hey,” Owen greeted him, unable to hide his chipper tone. 

Andrew ignored Owen as he worked and turned to leave before Owen could say anything else. This had Owen smiling. Whether the cold shoulder was because Claire had finally talked to him, or because he saw him and Claire leave together last night, he didn’t care. Andrew was finally getting the hint. 

It wasn’t until after lunch did the meeting start. Owen had sent Claire a few texts, but she never answered him. He decided to head up to her floor a little early to try and see what was going on. 

Seeing her door closed, Owen sat down in a chair just outside of her door. 

“Hey,” Zara smiled as she approached her desk, a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. “Claire is in with Mr. Masrani right now.” She said and glanced at her computer before turning back to Owen. “You’re meeting doesn’t start for fifteen minutes.” 

“I know, but Hoskins was drilling me on what not to say. Just wanted to get away.” Owen covered. 

Zara raised an eyebrow, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. “So you decided to hide out outside of Ms. Dearing’s office?” 

Owen narrowed his eyes as he watch her smirk grow. They fell silent as they studied each other. Zara wanting to thank Owen for the relaxed version of Claire today, but knowing that would be inappropriate, she kept her mouth shut. Owen realized she knew something and he sat back as he wondered if her and Claire had a closer friendship than he thought and if so, what did she say to Zara? 

Claire’s office door opening made him jump to his feet, pulling a snicker from Zara. 

“Oh, Mr. Grady.” Simon greeted him and turned back towards Claire who was frozen in shock. “I hear great things from your work so far from Claire. I look forward to hearing some of your reports.” He said, gesturing down to hall towards the meeting room. 

“Yes, Sir.” Owen responded, his military background showing through. 

Owen waited until Simon disappeared down the hall towards his office before turning to see Claire still standing in her doorway. “Had some extra time, so I figured I’d be early for this meeting.” He said with a smile. 

“There’s a first for everything.” Claire said, returning his smile before looking down to check her watch and turned to go back into her office. “I just have to grab my notes and your reports.” She called over her shoulder. 

Owen took a step into her office, but she was quicker than he wanted, collecting her briefcase and meeting him back at the door. Claire slid out the door beside him, her back sweeping across his front and she could hear his breath hitch. 

“Zara.” Claire said, and her assistant jumped to her feet, a notebook in hand as she followed Claire to the conference room. 

Owen was a beat behind them, still stunned that she brushed up against him. 

Stepping into the conference room, Owen froze, his gaze landing on Andrew who didn’t bother to hold back the eye-roll when he saw Owen enter. Quickly taking note that Andrew’s seat was directly to the right of where Claire placed her briefcase, the seat to her left occupied by Simon. 

Claire met Owen’s eyes as he took a seat across from her at the table. She glanced at Andrew from the corner of her eye before looking back at Owen. He could clearly see she was uncomfortable. 

“Hey,” Barry mumbled as he slipped into the seat beside Owen, pulling him from his focus on Andrew who had leaned into Claire, both of them in a deep conversation over whatever paperwork was in front of her. 

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Owen asked, his eyes staying focused across the table. 

“Hoskins wouldn’t stop calling. He said this was a meeting for all of us.” Barry grumbled just as Hoskins walked in, shaking Simon, Claire, and Andrew’s hand before taking a seat on Owen’s other side. 

Clearing her throat, Claire rose to her feet. “Thank you guys for coming and on such short notice,” her eyes locked with Owen, an apology to him that she couldn’t warn him. “Mr. Masrani is only on the island for the day and he would like to hear from you on the progress of the raptor project. But before I hand the floor over to him, I’d like to touch upon the paddock the raptors will be moving to.” Claire flipped through the papers in front of her and glanced at a page before looking up at Owen. “Mr. Grady, your reports state that the raptors are ready for the nursery.” 

Owen nodded, slightly amused that she was able to act so professional. He wanted to toy with her, but he knew she’d probably never speak to him again.

Claire threw him a satisfied smile and turned towards Andrew. “Dr. Carter, I see the raptors are healthy and physically ready to move from the incubator.” 

Andrew nodded. “Delta has made a full recovery from her illness and the other three are perfectly healthy.” 

“That’s great.” Claire said and moved her focus to Hoskins. “Do you have the security reports from the paddock? I don’t seem to have that on file.” 

Hoskins leaned forward, elbows on the table. “I have it. The paddock is up to code and ready for the raptors.” 

Claire could see Simon shift beside her and she knew exactly what he was thinking, but she spoke before he could. “If I don’t have the paperwork, I can’t authorize the transfer. The raptors are a major liability and I need the security clearance on the paddock.” 

“I said I have it.” Hoskins said, his palms coming down hard on the table. 

Simon sat forward, a move he usually made before he would step in. Most men, like Hoskins have tried to overpower Claire during a meeting. They would until Claire quickly put them in their place. Simon always let Claire carry her own when it came to situations like this, but he always sat ready to jump in if needed. 

Claire held her hand out towards Hoskins, palm facing up. “May I have them?” 

Hoskins rolled his eyes and gestured towards the empty table in front of him. “Well I don’t have it know.” 

Huffing, Claire placed her palms on the table in front of her and leaned her weight on her arms as she stared across the table at him. “Then I am denying the transfer.” She said, reaching back for the packet and sliding it across the table towards Hoskins. 

“Oh, come on! Just sign it! I’ll bring the damn paperwork over right after.” 

“No. You get my signature when I have all documents in hand.” 

Hoskins rose to his feet, his attention turning towards Simon who also stood up. “Mr. Masrani—”

“Get the paperwork to my Operations Manager. She signs that approval and one of your men get injured, or one of those raptors escapes it falls back on Ms. Dearing. She’s following all the protocols and I suggest you do the same.” Simon informed him. 

“I would also like to see the paddock myself to determine if it’s ready.” Claire added. 

“I’m leaving this afternoon.” Hoskins said, sitting back down. 

“That’s fine. I don’t need you there. One of your men just needs to be there.” 

“I’ll do it.” Andrew chimed in, a little too quickly. 

Claire turned to him, throwing him a look. “You are just the vet, Dr. Carter. I need an InGen employee to be there since it’s their program.” 

Owen smiled the moment Andrew’s eyes fell on him, locking eyes with the doctor, Owen raised his hand. “I’ll do it.” 

“Very, well.” Simon smiled and sat back down. “Any other concerns, Ms. Dearing?” 

Claire shook her head and sat down as Simon began speaking. Andrew reached his arm across the back of Claire’s chair, and she stayed perched at the edge of her seat, her eyes locked with Owen’s, a soft smile on her face. 

Once the meeting ended, everyone went their own way, leaving Claire and Owen alone in the conference room. 

“So,” Owen smiled, reaching out for her hips, pulling her against him. “Looks like we get to go play at the raptor paddock.” 

Claire chuckled as she rolled her eyes. “While _that_ sounds fun, there are too many workers there. So sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s not going to happen.” She said and turned to leave, but Owen pulled back towards him. 

“Hey, quick question.” He said softly, reaching out to cup her cheek. 

Claire raised an eyebrow in question. 

“Have you talking to Andrew about… us?” 

“No, why would I do that? Was I supposed to ask his permission to sleep with you?” Claire snapped, backing away from him. 

“What?” Owen gasped, reacting as if he was just slapped. “No! Of course you don’t, but he thinks he’s going to get back together with you and I don’t like the way he’s… I don’t like the way he is with you.” 

Claire folded her arms against her chest. “Jealousy is a real ugly color on you, Owen.” 

“I’m not jealous!” Owen scoffed. “Just don’t want to be stuck in this triangle anymore. The man suspects something because he’s been giving me the cold shoulder all day.” 

Claire shrugged, unfazed. “So let him assume whatever he wants. My private life is just that. Private. He’s an ex. I have no reason to talk to him if it doesn’t involve work.” 

Owen sighed, realizing she was right, but it still didn’t help him at all. He reached out for her once more, happy when she let him pull her back in to him. Claire reached up, kissing him quickly. “I have to get back to work, and get up your boss’s ass for that report.” 

“Have fun with that.” Owen chuckled. 

“I’ll come down to the lab a little later and we’ll drive out to the paddock. If I get that report and everything looks good, hopefully you could move the raptors in before the end of the day.” 

Owen leaned down to kiss her, a grin spread across his face. “That would be perfect! I can’t do much with them right now. They are too cramped.” 


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!! This chapter has mature sexual content. It's not explicit, but for mature audiences only.

It wasn’t until after lunch when Claire was able to make it down to the lab to pick up Owen. 

“Hey Claire!” Andrew called out, waving at her from the incubator, housing a bunch of eggs. 

She smiled at him, but continued through the lab towards the back room where she knew Owen was. 

“Wait!” He yelled, rushing after her. 

Claire kept her pace, glancing over her shoulder briefly to see Andrew jogging across the lab towards her. “Dr. Carter, I’m on a tight schedule today and I’m already behind as it is. If this is an emergency than you better just come out with it. If not then make an appointment with my assistant.” She knew she sounded way more professional than she needed, but she wasn’t interested in playing games and she wasn’t about to have _that_ conversation at work. 

Andrew fell into step beside Claire, his eyes growing wide at the seriousness of her tone. “Not an emergency, but I got assigned the raptors since I’ve been the one working with them the most. I was asked by Mr. Masrani to check the paddock with you and Owen so I know how the harnesses work. 

Claire stopped walking, spinning around to face Andrew. Her face twisting in anger. “You what?” She hissed, looking around briefly, hoping her voice was low enough to not put attention on them. 

Andrew smiled, stepping around her and walked into the back room. 

Owen stood up when he heard Claire’s heels storming in after Andrew. “I don’t have time for this!” Claire snapped at Andrew before turned towards Owen. “Let’s go.” 

Owen approached Claire cautiously, his eyes moving back and forth between her and Andrew. “Did I miss something.” 

“No.” Claire growled and turned to walk out of the room, storming through the lab. She didn’t bother to look behind her to see if either of them were following her. 

“What happened?” Owen asked as him and Andrew walked slightly behind Claire. 

Andrew shrugged, his eyes focused on Claire’s back. “Just told her I was assigned to the raptors and was instructed by Masrani to get to know the holding pen for the girls.” 

“I thought that other vet was going to be working with them.” Owen stated, following Andrew’s gaze and then snapping his focus back on him. “You’ve got to stop fucking with her.” Owen warned, his voice too low for Claire to hear. 

“Excuse me?” Andrew stopped, turning to face Owen head on, his eyes narrowing. 

“You heard me.” Owen said, squaring his shoulders and standing straight. He was a few inches taller than Andrew and almost laughed at the way he was trying to make himself grow a few more inches to meet his height. “Claire’s a grown ass woman, trust me,” Owen chuckled, “I know. She can make her own decisions.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Andrew’s voice rose slightly, anger making his ears burn red. 

“Whatever you want it to mean.” Owen shrugged and turned to continue after Claire who was already out the door and rounding the building to the parking lot. 

“She’ll take me back.” Andrew called after him, picking up his pace to catch up to Owen. 

“Like I said, she can make her own decisions.” 

“Hey!” Claire yelled at them across the parking lot. She made it to her car and was now fuming that they weren’t right behind her. 

Andrew rounded the car first, Owen making no attempt to race him like they were kids fighting for the front seat. He happily slid in behind Claire, not even bothering to look in Andrew’s direction. 

The ride out to the paddock was silent, Andrew fiddled with the radio, happy that Claire didn’t stop him. It was something they always did. Passenger gets to choose the music. 

Owen leaned forward, his hand sliding between the door and Claire’s seat and stretched his arm out so his fingers could slide along her leg. He felt her jump slightly and glance down, but her focus went back to the road, and her leg relaxing back into his touch. He didn’t try anything further. The touch wasn’t meant to be a tease. His thumb rubbed against her thigh in a soothing circle. He simply wanted to calm her down. 

Claire’s shoulders relaxed and he saw her lean back against her seat, her muscles relaxing under his touch. 

Resting his head against the back of Claire’s seat, he turned to look out the window, trying to pretend they were alone. 

“You’ll have some ride to work every morning.” Andrew broke the silence, glancing over his shoulder at Owen. 

He turned his head to look at Andrew, but made no move to sit up or move his hand, hidden from Andrew’s view. “What do you mean?” Owen responded. 

“Coming from the resort to all the way out here.” 

Owen raised an eyebrow, still confused. “I don’t live at the resort. I have my own place.” 

“Oh, right!” Andrew chuckled. “I remember hearing that you refused housing. You going to live like a caveman?” 

Owen’s thumb stopped its soothing rubs and he laid his palm flat against Claire’s leg. Her hand dropped from the steering wheel and laid over his. Now it was her turn to try and keep him calm. 

“Nope. I actually like what I’ve got. I like to get my hands dirty, do my own handy work. I don’t need to call maintenance whenever something doesn’t work.” Owen caught Andrew’s eye and smirked. “No offense.” He added. 

Turning his attention from Owen, Andrew glanced at Claire who remained silent and turned his head to look out the window. 

Claire squeezed Owen’s hand before bringing her hand back up to the steering wheel while Owen continued his soft strokes on her thigh. 

“Wow,” Owen gasped, sliding to the center of the back seat so he could lean through the opening between Claire and Andrew as the paddock came into view. “It’s bigger than I thought.” 

“You requested space.” Claire reminded him, putting the car in park and turning in her seat to look at him. Their faces were close enough that Owen would just have to lean in slightly to kiss her. The way her eyes flickered down to his lips before turning away to get out of the car had Owen convinced she was thinking the same thing. 

“Hi there!” One of the guards called out, waving as the three exited the car. 

“Officer Spencer.” Claire smiled warmly and gestured back towards the paddock. “I’m just here to do a last inspection before the raptors are transferred.” 

“We’ve got all the electric fencing and barriers in place. Have a look around.” He told her and turned back to walk around the front of the paddock. 

“This is awesome,” Owen said excitedly, pointing to the catwalk with one hand and reaching for Claire’s with the other. “Come check this out.” 

She let him tug her alone as she glanced around at the large platform. “This is high.” Claire’s voice shook as she dropped Owen’s hand and wrapping her arm around his bicep. 

“Are you scared of heights?” Owen chuckled, reaching across him with his free hand and patting her arms that were tightly wrapped around his. 

“When I’m standing on a walkway that I can see through. Yes.” She hissed, looking down through the holes in the catwalk. 

“I won’t let you fall.” Owen said, patting her arm once more. “See, look,” He gestured around them at the way the walkway circled around the permitter of the paddock and a few that bridged out towards the center. “The girls will be all the way down there and most of my training will be done from here.” 

“Pretty neat.” Andrew said coming up behind them. “Where are the harnesses?” He asked and then reached out to pat Claire’s back, already know why she was clinging to Owen. 

“Want me to help you down?” 

Claire shook her head, afraid to move. 

Owen laughed. “Come on.” Owen sighed, realizing she wasn’t going to tempt letting him go. They made it back to the stairs and Claire let out a sigh of relief the moment her hand landed on the railing. 

Andrew turned around as he walked slowly down the stairs and reached a hand back for Claire. “You got it?” 

“I’m fine.” Claire huffed, not liking how vulnerable she just was and refused to take his hand in order to hold on to some of her dignity. 

Andrew and Claire followed Owen over to the holding harnesses and explained how they work. “The girls are too small for them right now, and they still respond well to me handling them, so we will continue hands on training with them inside.” Owen explained as he made his way to the indoor section of the paddock. 

“What about your safety bunker?” Claire asked, once they made their way back towards Claire’s car. She turned back to the paddock, trying to find a second building. 

“Around the other side. We pulled in the back way. The main entrance is around this way.” Again, Claire and Andrew followed him. Claire’s shoulders relaxing when she spotted a long building just to the side of the paddock. She followed Owen inside and he pointed at a heavy steel door. “Bunker,” he stated and continued down the hall. “The rest are offices.” 

“Ok,” Claire sighed and turned towards Owen with a smile. “I approve. Now I just need the security release.” 

Owen nodded. “Hoskins swore it was sent over to your office before he left.” 

“I haven’t been in my office, so I’ll check when we get back.” She said and glanced down at her watch. “Which we need to go. I have a conference call in twenty minutes and it’s going to take us longer than that to get back.” 

The ride back to the resort was silent, Owen’s hand finding its way back to Claire’s thigh as the three of them rode in silence. 

XXX

It was late by the time Claire finished work, the day feeling like it was never going to end. She was packing up her bag when her phone dinged over on her desk. Reaching for it, Claire smiled when she saw Owen’s name and unlocked her phone to read the text. **Settled the girls in for the night. Took them forever to settle down with the new open space. You home?**

Claire smiled down at her phone, happy that Hoskins held up his end of the promise and Claire was able to sign the release to have the raptors move to the paddock. **That’s great! I’m leaving now. Dinner?**

 **You’ll beat me back, so get comfy and I’ll pick something up.** Owen’s response was almost immediate. 

**Something quick and easy. I’m more tired than I am hungry.** Claire sent the message and packed the last few files into her bag before slinging it over her shoulder, picking up her phone as Owen’s response came through. 

**If you’re tired I can just go to my room. I have to pack up my stuff anyway.**

Claire’s eyes grew wide as reality hit her. The raptors were out of the nursery, so Owen wasn’t going to be in the resort with her. He wouldn’t be conveniently close enough to get up and join her for her morning runs. Did this mean whatever they had started was over? 

Her phone dinged in her hands, making her jump, pulling her from her negative thoughts. **Hello?**

Her fingers moved quickly as she pounded out her text. **My apartment.** She send the text and left her office, saying a quick goodnight to Zara before leaving.

Claire made it to her apartment half hour before Owen text her, letting her know he was entering the resort. **There’s an envelope for you at the front desk.** She sent the text with shaky hands. 

Knowing Owen didn’t have easy access to the manager suites on the top few floors of the resort, and he weaseled his way up only once before. It’ll be a little more harder with him not being around to wait for the delivery guy to help him sneak up. The spare keycard for her apartment was in the envelope for Owen and Claire hoped the gesture didn’t set him off in a panic. 

Starring down at her phone, Claire didn’t realize how long it had been since she sent the text to Owen, but she jumped when she heard the automatic lock on the door click and the doorknob turn. “Hello?” Owen called out, poking his head through the crack of the door, eyes immediately finding Claire. 

“Hey,” She said shyly, looking down at her bare feet. 

Owen toed his shoes off and moved to place the bag of food on the counter before turning to Claire, holding the keycard out to her. “Thanks.” He said, handing it over. 

Claire swallowed hard and shifted uncomfortably. “It wasn’t for you to give back to me.” 

Owen’s eyes widened as he stared at Claire, unable to hide the shock on his face. 

Taking a deep breath, Claire stepped around Owen, no longer confident enough to have this conversation face to face. “I mean, I know you’ll talk your way up here anyway, so I figured to just give you access.” She mumbled as she unloaded the contents of the bag and concentrating on sorting out their meals, that she didn’t hear Owen approach her until his arms wound around her waist. 

Dropping his lips to her neck, he hummed against her skin when she tilted her head to give him better access. “Thanks.” He repeated and she turned in his arms, catching him as he took out his wallet, slipping the card into an empty slot. 

The fact that he immediately tucked it away eased Claire’s worries. It was a silent acknowledgment that he wasn’t ready to just walk away, forgetting what they had going on. 

She threw her arms around his neck at the same time his hands landed roughly on her hips. Their lips meeting in a fierce battle to try and gain control. Tightening his grip on her hips, Owen lifted Claire onto the counter with ease and she spread her legs enough to let Owen settle between them. 

Owen pulled back, leaning back so he could see Claire’s flustered face. “Thought you were tired.” 

Claire giggled as she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her. “You should see it as a good thing. You’ve got a head start on trying to get me to sleep in tomorrow morning.” 

“Oh, I get it.” Owen shook his head slowly as he clicked his tongue. “You underestimate me, Claire.” 

She smiled, leaning forward to peck his lips quickly before twisting to grab her salad. Owen grabbed for it, taking it out of her hands and placing it back down on the counter beside her hip. “You said you weren’t that hungry.” He said and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off the counter and turned towards her bedroom. 

Claire pressed her lips to his neck as he carried her, giggling against his skin when one of his hands squeezed her ass. 

Owen laughed as he pulled a startled squeal from Claire when he let her go, causing her to fall onto the mattress. He crawled onto the bed, moving up Claire’s body, his face falling serious as he met her eyes. He wanted to blurt out his feeling for her, he wanted to keep her pinned beneath his body, never letting her go. 

Her eyes stayed locked with his, so many words shared between them, but no one spoke. Reaching up, Claire ran her fingers through Owen’s hair as he reached between them to run his index finger along the waistband of her pants. The motion making Claire push her head back in the mattress, her eyes fluttered closed as she moved her hips towards him. 

Taking Claire’s response as permission to move on, Owen shifted so he could balance on his knees over her, his hands slipping under her oversized t-shirt, palms laying flat against her stomach. He could feel her breathing quicken as he slid his hands up her torso, pulling her shirt up as he moved higher. Owen smiled down at her when his hands grazed over bare breasts, making her writhe below him. 

Understanding that Owen wanted to take his time, Claire reached for the hem of her shirt, tugging it over her head. She watched as his eyes wondered, his hands sliding across every inch of exposed skin. 

He had made her feel beautiful last night, but this was different. He was marveling over every part of her as if he was inspecting the rarest diamond in the world. With every touch that slid across her skin, he woke up every fiber in her body. Her core was screaming for him to touch her, to allow her to fall off the edge, but she was enjoying the attention he was giving her. 

Owen leaned down, his mouth replacing his hands and Claire’s hands moved back to his hair, but she didn’t grab a fist full and guide him where she needed him most. She ran her fingers softly through his hair, allowing him to keep control. 

The way Claire’s fingers worked their way through his hair, fingernails scratching lightly across his scalp had Owen humming against Claire’s breasts. 

Moving down further, Owen slid down her body, pulling her pants off along the way. 

Owen smiled against her as he worked her body in ways she had never experienced. She had had oral sex before, but not with a man who seemed to know every spot to hit. He teased her and gave her exactly what she wanted until her back was arched off the mattress and she was calling out his name. 

He moved up to lay beside her, watching her as she fought to catch her breath. 

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” Owen asked, as he watched her chest rise and fall as she panted. Her eyes were closed, marveling in the feeling of her body coming down from its high. 

Claire smiled, her eyes blinking open and she turned to face him. “Do you know how good you are?” She asked, a soft blush forming on her cheeks. 

Owen shrugged and leaned in to kiss her softly. “You’re just easy to read.” He said, trailing his fingers from her lips and down her body to her thigh. 

Moving her leg, fitting it against his thigh, Claire reached out to tug on his shirt. “You’re still dressed.” She complained and a small pout forming on her lips. 

Owen chuckled and wrapped his fingers around her wrist, pulling her hand away from him. “It’s not about me right now.” 

Claire shifted so she was sitting up to better face him, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Well, I’m ready for it to be.” She said and tried reaching for his belt buckle. 

“Not yet.” He reached for her hands once more, this time she fought him, a sly smile spreading across her face. 

She had given up control already and she wasn’t going to do it again. Claire slipped her hands free and flung a leg over his hip so she was straddling his lap. Owen hummed as her lips moved along his neck and she wrapped herself around him, pressing herself flush against him. 

Owen wrapped his arms around her waist and held her against him as he shifted Claire back down on her back. She fought against his touch, refusing to let herself lie under him. She fought for the control Owen was refusing to give up. 

Huffing loudly, Claire let out a loud groan when Owen’s fingers wrapped around her wrists once more. This time, though, he pinned them over her head. “You’re stubborn, aren’t you?” Owen pointed out, ducking down to kiss her. Her need for him showing heavily as she tried to keep his lips against her, but without her hands she could only do so much. 

Bucking her hips against his, he smiled against her lips when she moaned, feeling him through his jeans. Fighting against his hands, Claire twisted her wrists, desperate to reach for his pants. 

Owen matched her movement, holding both her wrists in one hand to reach between them and helped her reach her second climax of the night. 

“Damn you.” Claire panted, her body flat against the mattress, muscles feeling like jello. 

Owen slid down her body planting light kisses across her belly. He heard her stomach gurgle and peeked up at her. “How about some dinner.” He suggested and reached for her hands to help her sit up. 

She wanted to fight him. To keep him on the bed, but her limbs were like spaghetti and she couldn’t seem to get them to move. She had no strength to pull him back. Instead, she slumped back down, back flopping against the mattress. 

“You’re not tired already. Are you?” Owen asked, turning back to look at Claire. 

Claire pushed herself up on her elbows so she could see him at the foot of the bed. Her eyes traveled down to the bulge in his jeans. “You just going to ignore that?” 

“For now.” 

“That’s got to be painful.” 

“A little.” 

Claire shifted so she was on her hands and knees. “So come here.” 

Owen shook his head and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. “Dinner first.” 

Grabbing her bathrobe, she dragged her feet as she followed Owen into the kitchen. Claire immediately reached for a glass, filling it with water as Owen brought their meals to the table. 

“What’s your favorite ice cream?” Owen wondered and grabbed his cell phone off the counter before turning back to the table. 

“Rocky Road.” Claire answered, taking a bite of her salad. “Why?” 

“We’ll just stick with chocolate.” He said and hit the number for room service on his phone. 

“Why?” Claire repeated. She watched him as he spoke his order into the phone, giving them her apartment number. “Dessert?” 

Owen shrugged and took a bite of his salad. “Something like that.” 

They ate in silence, both of them sneaking a peek at the other and smiling when one of them got caught. Claire could see Owen shifting uncomfortably as he ate and immediately knew what his problem was. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as she poked around at her salad. Leaning back in her chair, her robe slipped open and she heard Owen clear his throat. Looking up at him she caught his eyes locked on her chest. 

Taking advantage of the moment, she got up and walked around the table. Owen knew she was coming for him and he slid his chair back enough for her to climb onto his lap. She had his shirt off before he could protest. Also he was losing his strength to keep himself at bay. 

Owen slipped his arms around Claire’s waist, holding her against him. He felt his self control slipping feeling her chest flush against his. Skin on skin. 

The knock on the door halted Claire’s movement on Owen’s lap, his hands sliding across her hips and lifted her onto the table. “He’ll put it by the door if we don’t answer.” Claire offered, trying to reach for Owen as he adjusted himself before moving to open the door.

He opened the door, ignoring Claire and immediately regretted it. 

Andrew stood, smile fading with the bag of ice cream in his hand. His eyes immediately focused on the fact that Owen was shirtless. Answering Claire’s door. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep those reviews coming!! I love seeing your reactions!

“What the fuck?” Owen growled, stepping sideways, shutting the door slightly so Andrew couldn’t see inside. 

“Are you serious?” Andrew hissed, eyebrows furrowing in anger. 

“Dead serious.” Owen grumbled, reaching through the crack in the door to snatch the bag out of Andrew’s hand. He went to close the door, but Andrew’s palm slapped against it. 

Owen shook his head, glancing over his shoulder as he heard Claire turn the water on in the kitchen, cleaning up from their dinner. “You so much as piss her off right now I will toss your ass in the lagoon for the Mosasaurus.” 

Andrew stretched his neck to try and look around Owen, but he couldn’t see or hear Claire. 

“Like I said, she’s a grown ass woman and can make her own decisions. Walk away and leave her alone. You fucked up and she moved on.”

“Then let her tell me that.” Andrew demanded, folding his arms against his chest, making it clear that he wasn’t going to budge. 

“Fine.” Owen huffed, turning to call for Claire over his shoulder. 

“What’s wrong?” She called back from the kitchen. 

He didn’t answer her, unsure of what to actually say. 

“Owen?” Her voice sounding alarmed because he didn’t answer her. She stepped beside him, the door blocking her view of who was on the other side. “What? Did they make a mistake with the ice cream?” She asked, hand light on his arm as she reached for the bag in his hand. 

Starring up at the ceiling, Owen opened the door, causing Claire to gasp and tighten her robe around herself. “What the hell are you doing here?” 

“I saw Edgar in the elevator. He said the ice cream was for you, so I figured that meant you were upset. You always eat a pint of ice cream when you’re stressed.” 

Owen rolled his eyes and snorted. “She’s not upset and it isn’t intended to be—” Owen cut off with a sharp hiss from Claire’s elbow in his rips. 

She shifted slipping her body in front of Owen, forcing him back behind the door. “All this just sort of happened,” Claire bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling. She didn’t regret any of it and she wasn’t about to apologize for it either. “I don’t owe you an explanation, I don’t even know why you thought you could weasel your way into my place with a pint of ice cream. You chose the door. You didn’t expect me to sit and wait for you, did you? Go home, Andrew.” Claire shut the door, not caring what else he had to say. 

Owen stood watching Claire closely as she turned towards him. He studied her face for any sign of regret. “You ok?” 

Taking a deep breath, Claire’s eyes dropped to the bag in Owen’s hands. “We’re really not eating that?” 

“HA!” Owen laughed loudly, stepping towards Claire and pulled her into his arms. “You’re ready for dessert already?” 

Claire nodded, nibbling on her bottom lip, the man on the other side of the door completely forgotten. Her mind wrapped around Owen, her heart screamed for Owen. 

He didn’t need to ask twice, his lips met hers as his hands slipped into the opening of her robe, arms wrapping around her waist. Owen backed her up until she bumped into the table, hands strong on her hips he lifted her up so she was perched on the table. 

Standing back, Owen placed the bag beside Claire, using his index fingers to push her robe open enough to slip off her shoulders. His lips moving across her collarbone caused Claire to moan out loud, her hands dropping to his belt buckle. Owen was quick to stop her, fingers wrapped around her wrists and pulling them away. 

“Not yet.” He growled against her skin, causing her to shiver. 

He knew she was going to argue, he heard her take a breath before she spoke, but his lips occupied hers, swallowing every word she was going to say. 

Blindly, Owen reached for the bag at Claire’s hip, pulling the ice cream out and patted the table, knowing he sat a spoon on it somewhere. Fingers brushed against the handle of the spoon and he was able to get the ice cream open without breaking the kiss, Claire’s legs tightly wrapped around his waist as she moved against him, humming into his mouth. 

Owen pulled back, breaking the kiss and pulling a groan of protest from Claire. Smiling, he pulled the spoon out of the ice cream, letting the cold end brush across her breast. Gasping, Claire shuttered from the cold, biting her lip to keep from calling out as Owen’s warm mouth covered the cold that the spoon left behind and immediately setting her skin on fire.

Leaning back on her hands, Claire’s elbows buckled as Owen continued the hot and cold torture across her breasts and down her stomach, not stopping until he was kneeling between her thighs. The cold spoon spread ice cream across her skin and Owen was quick to clean it off. 

Unable to hold her weight anymore, Claire let her arms give out, her back falling to the table while Owen set every inch of her body into a war between hot and cold. For the third time Claire’s body rocked with ecstasy. 

Owen stood up and placed the half melted container of ice cream beside Claire’s hip and leaned over her, kissing her cheek softly. “How are you doing?” He mumbled against her skin. 

Claire was silent, her eyes closed and her breathing shallow as she wallowed in the high she was feeling. She was getting tired, but she wasn’t about to cave just yet. She knew a grand finale was on the way, she just had to convince Owen to make it sooner rather than later. 

Touching her cheek lightly, Owen began to wonder if she actually conked out on him. He was just about to pick her up and take her to bed, but she sighed heavily, sitting up on her own, eyes still shut. 

Owen cupped her face in his hands, smiling at himself. She was exhausted. 

Blinking her eyes open, Claire smiled, her eyes immediately locking with Owen’s. “Is it my turn yet?” She asked, reaching for the ice cream that looked more like a container of soup now. 

Owen shook his head. “No, it’s all melted now.” He said, reaching to the container, but Claire pulled away before he could grab it. 

“Well that’s not fair! Why did you ask me what _my_ favorite flavor was if I wasn’t going to eat it?” She laughed as she looked down at the melted mess in her hand. “Or in this case, drink it.” 

“Put it in the freezer so it’ll refreeze.” 

Claire shook her head, her eyes sweeping across Owen’s bare chest. 

Owen took a small step back. “What do you have going on in that mind of yours?” 

Biting her bottom lip to keep from smiling, Claire stepped with Owen. His hands flying out to wrap around her wrists, keeping whatever devilish plan she had forming at bay. “Take your pants off.” She demanded.

Owen shook his head. 

Fighting the hold on her wrist that held the ice cream, she was able to get free. Tilting the carton just enough to a few drops landed on his jeans. 

“Claire!” Owen yelled, trying to jump away from her. 

She let out a loud hackle and jumped towards him, splashing more on his pants. “Take your pants off.” She repeated. 

“Give me the ice cream.” Owen countered. 

Claire shook her head, her gaze dropping to his belt buckle. 

“Oh, fine.” He huffed and she relinquished the container, her hands immediately moving to his buckle. 

With Owen now in possession of the sticky mess, he smirked tipping the container until melted chocolate trickled down Claire’s chest, between her breasts and down her stomach. 

“Owen!” Claire complained, the liquid still fairly cold. 

“You started it.” He said, pointing down at the mess she made on his jeans. 

Claire let go of Owen’s pants and shimmied them down his legs, leaving him in his boxers. She tried grabbing the container out of his hands, but he was quicker, holding it above his head so she couldn’t reach it. 

Huffing, Claire looked down at the mess dripping down her stomach and swept her hands across her skin, lapping up a hand full of melted ice cream and immediately slapping her messy hand across his ribs. 

Owen grunted through gritted teeth, surprised that he didn’t see that coming. He held his breath as she swept her tongue across his skin, cleaning up the mess she made. 

Claire was soft with her touch, tender with her kisses on his skin. Owen stepped backwards, his head spinning in the joy of her on his skin. The counter stopping his steps, he abandoned the carton on the counter beside him as his hands gripped the edge in an attempt to stay upright. 

Smiling against Owen’s chest, Claire spotted the discarded carton and slowly reached for it with her free hand, the other slipping under the waistband of his boxers. 

With Owen’s head leaning back, eyes closed, she lifted the chocolate mess, tipping it until a large amount slid down his chest. Owen called out, surprised from the sudden waterfall of cold liquid on his skin. 

Claire giggled as she began following the flow of melted ice cream down his stomach. He wanted to stop her. He wanted to remind her that this was about her, not him, but her talent had him forgetting how to talk. 

It was his turn to have his body shake with his release and Claire stood up, a chocolate mess that had Owen laughing when he was able to regain his composure. 

Claire knew she was a mess and she couldn’t help but laugh along with him. “I think we both need a shower.” She said looking at her palm covered in chocolate and slapped it against a clean spot on his chest. 

Owen laughed, looking down at the perfect handprint she left behind. “Putting your mark on me?” Owen chuckled, stepping forward and pulling Claire into his arms. 

Claire shrugged. “Something like that.” She said with a giggle. 

He kissed her softly and Claire could immediately feel them getting carried away, so she stepped back, immediately turning to walk towards her bathroom. “I’m not making a mess anywhere else. We are showering first.” She said over her shoulder. 

Owen followed after her, the mess in the kitchen forgotten. 

The shower water was warm and Owen stood back, watching Claire immediately rubbing her skin to try and make herself less sticky. This was her first time every playing around with food and while the process was fun, she hated the after feel. 

Owen’s hands replaced hers, soap already lathered on his, ready to clean off her skin. She melted against the shower wall, loving the feel of his hands on her. She was beginning to wonder if she’d ever not want him to touch her. He may be playing off a tease he started to get her to sleep in, but he was spoiling her and she demanded more. 

When Owen was finished, Claire took it upon herself to start cleaning up Owen. With her focused on removing the chocolate from his chest and stomach, he let his hands travel, immediately honing in on her center. 

The second she was finished cleaning him up, he gripped her hips, lifting her into his arms, their lips fighting for dominance. Owen knew she had been fighting him all night, so he relinquished the power to her and she immediately took over. Her hand reaching between them and she guided him to where she wanted him the most. 

The shower ran cold, cooling their bodies down from their ecstasy. 

Still wrapped around Owen, Claire let her head drop to his shoulder, her eyes fluttering closed. Owen knew she was spent, her body relaxing in his arms. 

He stepped out of the shower carefully so to not slip with Claire still wrapped around him. Patting her thigh, she sighed heavily, but unwound her legs from his hips.

Owen stepped away from her, her body swaying from exhaustion as he reached for a towel. He knew he should feel bad for how exhausted she looked, but he felt triumphant. 

He was able to wrap a towel around her shoulders and one around his hips before Claire stepped towards him, doing her best to keep her eyes open, and wrapped her arms around him. 

Moving quickly, Owen managed to mostly dry the both of them off. He hung the towels back up and scooped Claire into his arms where she immediately melted against him, arms tight around his neck and her head on his shoulder. 

He kissed her cheek softly, moving his lips to her ear. “Do you want to get dressed?” 

Claire shook her head. “Just bed.” She mumbled. 

Settling Claire into bed, she curled up, sighing heavily, sleep finally taking over. Owen kissed her forehead and turned to quickly clean up the kitchen so they wouldn’t have to worry about it in the morning. 

Claire moaned when she felt Owen slip into bed behind her, his arm dropping over her hip. “Where’d you go?” She mumbled, half asleep. 

“To clean up.” He said kissing her shoulder. “Go to sleep. I’m right here.” 

The 5am rang loud in Owen’s ear. He grumbled against the sound, unhappy that it disturbed his sleep. That is, until he realized it was Claire’s alarm, trying to wake her up for her morning run. Owen laid still, his arm like a statue against her hip as the alarm rang loud through the room. 

Claire mumbled an incoherent “shut it off,” as she turned her body, trying her face into Owen’s chest. 

Though her words were muffled, he still understood what she was trying to say and obligently turned off her alarm. He felt her body relax against his, her breath immediately evening out as she fell back to sleep. 

It was an hour later did Owen’s alarm rang through his phone. A last warning that they needed to get up and face the day. Owen stretching his body, yawning as he forced himself to wake up. He blinked a few timed before realizing Claire was still fast asleep in his arms, breathing evenly as she slept, deep in slumber. He, in fact, had made her sleep in. Proud of his accomplishment, he leaned forward and kissed her bare shoulder, trailing soft kisses across her collarbone. She hummed in her sleep, approving his sweet tempt on waking her up. 

“It’s after six.” He hummed in her ear, trailing kisses along her jaw. 

“No way.” Claire mumbled, doing all she could to open her eyes. 

“I did it, Claire Dearing. I made you sleep in.” He whispered against her ear. 

“No.” She denied, eyes still sealed shut. 

“No?” Owen questioned, raising an eyebrow, even though she couldn’t see. “I do believe you are over an hour late for your morning run, Ms. Dearing.” He said, trailing kisses along her collarbone. 

“So what.” She mumbled, turning away from him, curling her body into a ball as she continued to sleep. 

Owen didn’t argue, he wrapped himself around her as he fell back to sleep, the women he adored wrapped tightly in his arms. 

Claire opened her eyes, groaning at the unfamiliar beeping sound coming from somewhere behind her. She stretched, smiling to herself, feeling Owen behind her. Her eyes shut, trying to fall back to sleep and doing her best to ignore whatever that sound was. 

The beeping got louder and Claire rolled over so she was facing Owen, poking at his shoulder. “Owen,” she hissed. “Hey! What is that!” 

“Hmm?” Owen mumbled, flopping onto his back as he snored lightly. 

“Ugh!” Claire groaned as she leaned over him to try and find the source of the beeping. “Owen, it’s your phone!” She snapped, shaking his shoulder until he woke up. 

She watched as Owen felt for his phone, eyes still closed. “Just hit the off button. It’s my alarm.” He mumbled, doing his best to try and pry his eyes open. 

Claire looked back down at Owen’s phone, doing a quick double take at the clock. “Oh my God, Owen!” Claire shrieked, jumping off the bed. 

“Huh? What?!” Owen sprung up, eyes wild as he looked around for some sort of threat.

“I have fifteen minutes to get to work!” She yelled, practically diving into her closet to get dressed. 

Owen didn’t even bother to hide his laughter. “Told you I’d get you to sleep in!” He teased. 

“You turned my alarm off!” She accused, poking her head out of the closet. 

“You told me to.” 

Stepping out of the closet, Claire paused on the way to the bathroom, hands flying to her hips. “No I didn’t!” 

Owen nodded, crossing his legs on the bed as he watched her. “Face it, Claire. I got you to sleep in. You would have clearly heard your alarm.”

Reaching up to rub her eyes, she tried to hide the blush on her cheeks. He was right. Damn it, he was right.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t want to sleep in this much!” 

Owen snorted, “Didn’t hear you complaining last night.” 

Claire rolled her eyes and continued into the bathroom. 

“You mind if I do laundry? I’m not walking downstairs with chocolate all over my pants… thanks to you.” 

He could hear Claire giggle from the bathroom. “Yeah, it’s fine.” She said, stepping out of the bathroom. 

Owen’s eyes went right to her hair, where it’s usually pin straight, she had it set in loose curls. 

“You gave me no time to straighten it.” She snapped and went to move by him to grab her bag, but his arm shot out, fingers wrapping around her wrist. 

“I like it like that.” He said, pulling her into him and kissing her softly. 

“I have to go. I _really_ have to go.” She mumbled against his lips. 

She froze as she watched him get out of bed, her eyes following him as he walked into the kitchen where his clothes were left. He picked up the pile and turned towards her. She swallowed hard, pointing behind her. “The closet at the end of the hall is the washer and dryer.” She pointed out, the fact that she was going to have him sitting in her apartment naked while he waited for his clothes to be washed, had her wishing she could call into work and tell them she’d be late. Her phone buzzed in her hand and she let out a small whimper. She had to go in. 

“Lock up before you leave!” She called down the hall. Owen walked back towards her and took her into his arms. 

“Lunch?” 

Claire nodded, her phone buzzing once more. “I have to go.” She whispered and reached up to kiss him. 


	16. Chapter 16

Claire hurried into her office, a soft “Sorry” on her lips as she rushed by Zara. Her assistant was quick, rushing after Claire and shutting the office door behind her. 

“Again?” Zara asked, eyes locked on Claire’s wavy hair. 

“I really don’t have time for this, Zara, I have a meeting with a few investors that I need to finish preparing for.” Claire motioned towards the door behind Zara, but the woman didn’t budge, a small smirk playing at the corners of her lips. 

“No.” Claire said, scolding her assistant. She knew she was looking for information. 

Zara’s smirk only grew wider, a single eyebrow raising as she once again looked at Claire’s hair. 

With a heavy sigh, shoulders dropping, Claire slumped back against her desk, a dreamy smile playing at the corners of her lips.

“That good?” Zara asked, folding her arms against her chest. She had only just started dating someone from accounting, but Claire’s love life seemed a lot more interesting at the moment. That and Owen was quickly becoming the most desirable man on the island, so naturally Zara was on that list of women who would love to be Owen’s chosen one. 

Claire let out an unsteady laugh as she bit her bottom lip, unable to meet Zara’s gaze. 

“Awe, man!” Zara clapped her hands, enjoying watching her boss and friend squirm. Claire Dearing never walked into her office flustered from the previous nights events. “Wish I had a chance to test him out!” 

“Zara!” Claire gasped, eyes wide. 

“What?” She shrugged. “When everyone else finds out they will be thinking the same thing!” 

“But you’re dating Tony!” 

“And you nailed the most sought after hunk of meat on this damn island! Even the married women are swooning over him. I mean,” Zara folded her arms against her chest, her smile growing wider. “do you blame them?” 

Claire bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling. 

That was the answer Zara was looking for. She shook her head in mock shame that Claire wouldn’t open up to her. She knew it was almost impossible, but she was just beginning to try and get it out of Claire. “Fine.” She huffed, glancing down at her watch before looking up at Claire. “You’re late.” 

Claire’s gaze shot down to her own watch. “Damn it!” She hissed, dropping her bags on her desk and hurrying out of her office to meet the investors. 

It was almost strange to walk into the lab without Owen there. She missed the chance of getting small glimpses of him while he was occupied with the raptors. 

Approaching the investors, Claire froze, noticing Andrew was speaking with them. Squaring her shoulders, she stood tall as she approached the small group. 

“Good morning,” Claire greeted the four investors, stepping beside Andrew to shake their hands. 

She could physically feel the room get colder the moment she stepped beside him, but she kept her attention on the investors. 

“Ms. Dearing, this lab is spectacular!” Mr. Benson said as he looked around, his eyes wide with wonder. 

“Yes,” She smiled warmly as she looked around. Her eyes drifted by Andrew. His own gaze was set on her. 

Ignoring him, she kept herself professional as she moved about the lab, the investors following close behind her. 

It was an hour later when she finally broke free from the investors, leaving them to make their routine phone calls before signing their sponsorship. 

“What was that all about?” Andrew hissed, wrapping his fingers around Claire’s arm and pulled her aside before she could walk out of the lab. 

She yanked her arm free, narrowing her eyes at him. “What are you talking about?” 

“Last night!” 

Immediately, Claire turned to walk away. “Go back to work, Dr. Carter.”

“No, Claire. I want to talk about this.” 

With a dry laugh, Claire shook her head. “Talk about what? My life no longer concerns you. I don’t owe you an explanation for anything.” She hissed, stepping closer to him so no one else could overhear them. 

“Did he stay over?” 

Rolling her eyes, Claire once again turned to walk away, but Andrew reached out to stop her. 

“I love you Claire. I want to try and make this work.” 

“Well, give up because it’s over.” She snapped and hurried away before he could pull her back in. 

XXX

  
“Hey,” Barry said as he knocked on Owen’s open door before stepping into his office. “How was the morning session?” He asked, sitting in one of the chairs in front of Owen’s desk. 

Owen sighed, leaning back in his chair and tossing his pen across the desk. “Sucked. None of them would listen to me. Delta is teething.” He grumbled and looked down at the small puncture wound on his finger. 

“Didn’t you have a bet with your woman?” Barry asked with a chuckle. “Looks like that’s an injury.” 

Owen shook his head. “Na, this is nothing and it’s nothing Claire needs to know about.” Owen smiled, leaning over his desk. “Besides, I already got her. I think the whole date bet is off.” 

Barry rolled his eyes. “Casual sex is not ‘getting the girl’, Owen. Even you should know that.” 

Owen leaned back in his chair, arms crossing against his chest. “Oh I know, but it’s not just about the sex.” 

Shrugging, Barry scrubbed his finger across his chin. “If you haven’t asked her out, or talked about what you want from… whatever you have going on, then I say you’re fuck buddies.” 

“Not true.” Owen shook his head and lifted his hip up to grab his wallet from his back pocket, pilling our the key card to Claire’s room and dropping it to the desk between them. “What do you call that?” 

Barry snorted. “An all access ticket to Claire’s bed.” 

“Again,” Owen shook his head, “not true.” 

“Ok.” Barry smirked, his eyebrowitng raising. “Then what did she say when she gave it to you?” 

Owen reached up to scratch the back of his head. “She knew I’d sneak my way up there…” he trailed off, jumping to his feet. “Oh come on, Barry! I know it all sounds bad, but we’ve got something. She’s…” he trailed off with a dreamy look in his eyes as he stared at the wall behind Barry. “She’s everything.” 

“So ask her out.” Barry urged. 

“Why.” Owen raised his hands in question, still unsure why he would have to ask a woman out that he already slept with repeatedly. Someone he knew had some sort of attraction towards him just as he did her. 

“Then be the puppet she only calls on to itch her scratch.” 

Owen narrowed his eyes at his friend. “I hate you.” 

“Na,” Barry laughed as she stood up. “You just hate that I’m right.” 

“I’m telling you,” Owen said with another shake of his head, getting to his feet to follow Barry out of his office. “She’s not that type of person.” 

“How do you know?” 

“We’ve talked. A lot. I’ve stayed over twice, so there ya go. She’s different.” He said with a sigh. 

Barry laughed, clapping Owen on his back. “Man, you’re falling for her and you haven’t even properly asked her out yet! She must be something.” 

“I really hate you.” Owen mumbled as they walked back into the nursery. 

Owen stopped abruptly when he saw Andrew tossing a rubber ball into the pen where the raptors were. “What the hell are you doing here?” Owen asked, not even bothering to even try and remember they were working. 

“Checking on the girls.” Andrew said with a weak shrug, his eyes locked on Owen’s. 

“You’re not due to check on them until later in the week.” Owen pointed out. 

Andrew’s gaze fell on Barry, a silent glare in his eyes that said he wanted to be alone with Owen. 

Barry understood, Owen had been filling him in, looking to his friend for advice. He raised his hand, clamping down on Owen’s shoulder. “Good?” Barry asked, seeing the fire in his eyes. 

Owen nodded, focus set solely on Andrew. 

Without another word, Barry stepped out of the room, the only sound was the impatient raptors, squawking at Owen, reminding him it was snack time. 

Andrew stood tall, doing his best to puff out his chest, trying to make himself look intimidating even though Owen was still much bigger than him. “Stay away from her.” He demanded, voice low and cold. 

Owen let out a loud laugh as he turned to grab a bucket of jerky and entered the pen. “Go back to your geek lab.” 

“I thought we were friends!” Andrew yelled, his hands balling into fists. 

Owen shrugged. “We were.” 

“I confided in you about Claire. I didn’t want you to take her from me!” Andrew reached out, grabbing Owen’s elbow to make him turn back to face him. Owen spun around, yanking his arm free, a warning glare on his face. Andrew immediately let his hand drop back to his side. “Tell her it’s over.” 

“I’m not telling her shit.” Owen scoffed. “She’s perfectly capable to speak up and say what she wants and she’s made her choice perfectly clear.” Owen shrugged as he threw Andrew a small smile. “Wasn’t your name she’s been calling.” 

“I want you to talk to her. I tried and she’s—”

Owen’s eyes widened, quickly cutting him off. “You talked to her? About what exactly? Didn’t she tell you how she felt last night?” 

“She needed to know I still love her.” 

“How’d that go?” Owen asked, his arms crossing against his chest. 

“I’m here asking you to talk to her, aren’t I?” 

“So doesn’t that tell you something?” Owen yelled, leaning over the pen to get closer to Andrew. “I have nothing to say to you regarding Claire. Unless for some unforeseeable reason you have to tell me something regarding Ms. Dearing, Operations manager, you and I are finished.” Turning back to his raptors, Owen didn’t bother to turn back to see how long Andrew stood silently behind him before he left. 

XXX

The sun was setting by the time Claire left work. She was exhausted from the days events and the lack of sleep the night before. 

Walking into her apartment, she couldn’t help but feel sad. She knew she was coming home to an empty home, but part of her was hoping to see Owen sprawled out on her couch. 

Claire reached for her phone to text Owen just as a quick knock on the door immediately followed by the lock clicking open. “Hey!” Owen called out before his head poked through the opening in the door. 

Claire couldn’t hold back the smile as she walked over to him, pulling the door open the rest of the way. “Hey,” She repeated, her eyes immediately dropping to the bags behind him, sitting in the hallway. 

Owen shrugged when her eyes finally met his again. “Had to check out, so I figured I come say hi and bye real quick before I headed back to my bungalow. 

“Oh,” Claire sighed as she slumped against the doorframe. “You have to go back? I liked having you in the same building.” 

“Looks like you’ll just have to come out to my place.” 

“Or you could just come here.” 

“Uh uh,” Owen shook his head, smirking at Claire’s ill-faded attempt to keep him there with her. “Your turn to come to me. It’s not that bad.” He paused as the elevator dinged and someone turned down the hall to their apartment. “Much more private, too.” He added, turning back to look at her. 

Claire stood silent as the word private echoed through her head. But she liked being so close to work. She liked her organized home. She liked a solid structure around her. 

“Come on,” Owen urged, reaching for her hand. “Stay the night.” 

The elevator door opened again and another two more people emerged, smiling politely as they walked by to their apartment. 

“Fine.” Claire huffed, turning to walk towards her room to pack a bag. 

Owen followed, leaving his bags just outside the door to wait for her. 

It took Claire longer than Owen wanted for her to pack an overnight bag. He sat on the edge of her bed, watching as she walked back and forth from the bathroom to her closer. On her fifth or sixth pass he huffed impatiently. “It’s only a night, Claire.” 

“I know, but I’m not going into work tomorrow with my hair like this again!” She called out from the bathroom, emerging a moment later with her straightener and some bottles of hair products in her hands. She added them to the bag beside Owen on the bed and moved back towards the bathroom, returning with a makeup bag.

“I like the wavy hair.” Owen said, watching her as she continued to move about. 

Claire chose to ignore him, tossing her blowdryer into the bag along with a pair of stilettos. “Ok, I’m ready.” She said shifting uncomfortably, playing with her fingers nervously. 

Owen watched her closely as she sighed heavily before reaching for her bag. “Wait,” Owen said, reaching for her arm before she could walk away. “You’ve never stayed over anywhere before. Have you?” 

Claire rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Of course I have! I’ve had many sleepovers when I was a kid.” 

Owen shook his head, his eyes baring into hers. “A guys place.” 

Claire nibbled on her bottom lip, her gaze dropping to the floor. “I’m more comfortable in my own surroundings.” She admitted, refusing to meet his eyes.

Owen laughed lightly, but knew she was on the edge and didn’t want to ruin the night. “It’ll be fun.” He said, reaching for her bag and slinging it over his shoulder. “Come on.” 

They switched bags in the hall, Claire reclaiming her own while Owen loaded his arms with his as they headed towards the elevator. 

Claire watched him drop his bags at his feet while the elevator descended to the main floor. Her eyes narrowed as the thoughts in her head became clear. “Wait a minute…” she trailed off, focusing on the three duffle bags at Owen’s feet. “How were you going to hold all that on your motorcycle?” She asked, her eyes shooting back up to his face.

“Knew you wouldn’t be able to say no to coming over.” He answered with a wink. 

Claire shook her head. “You’re an ass.” 

“We going to start the whole ass conversation again?” 

The elevator doors opened and they stepped out while the few people waiting for the elevator stepped aside. 

Andrew was standing behind the small group of lab workers waiting for the elevator. Both Claire and Owen walked by, arms loaded with bags while they made their way to the side door. His heart shattering when he watched Claire laugh at something Owen said and he leaned in to kiss her cheek. 


End file.
